A/N: Alrighty, readers!

After a bit of a wait, here's another chapter of Zootopia X! But before you read, I have a short announcement to make regarding this fanfic.

In the near future, I plan on going back into the fanfic and making some edits to it (such as Matt's appearance and a couple of other major/minor key points regarding a few other characters in the fanfic). I will edit this chapter (along with some others) and announce when the affected chapter(s) has been edited in some way.

Lastly, I realized the type of bracers some of the samurai happened to wear in the Rurouni Kenshin anime/OVAs (and other anime similar to it) were cloth-like samurai Tekkou bracers.

Alrighty, with that said, hope you guys enjoy!

The Tragedy that was Never Meant to Be

A pair of wide, jade green colored eyes continue to gaze at the open journal with unexpected surprise, unexpected shock perhaps. Matt couldn't properly comprehend what the hell he had just read, nor did he know what to make of the whole situation. His body couldn't move, his eyes remained locked at the last page of the journal, and his breathing stilled.

Just what in the hell did he read…? That particular question continued to course his mind for the past couple of minutes since he had finished reading the journal. But what caught his attention the most were two things:

One, he discovered John Bellwether was the one responsible for the death of his own father, whom Matt discovered his father was actually apart of the same clan he was.

Two, John tried to do whatever he could to atone for the wrongs he had committed, particularly towards the person he formerly dated, his aunt, Tomoe.

In honestly, however, he didn't know which of the two were more surprising. But to be honest, he didn't bother to look into the matter any further. The fox closes the journal and closes his eyes, with a soft sigh calmly leaving his mouth.

"John… I don't think I can ever forgive you for what you've done to my father…" Matt thought inside of his mind a moment before he reopened his eyes. "However, if you hadn't killed my father or if you and I had met under different circumstances, much would've been different", he claimed inside of his head. And it honestly would've been true if John had decided to side with the Neo-Imperialists to atone for his crimes instead of going off to the meeting and trying to stop or assassinate his own sister.

But with those thoughts said, the fox shifts his attention towards John's desk, his eyes fixed upon the top left drawer as the journal had stated. His right hand-paw grabs the metallic handle of the drawer and pulls it open, and was met with a crumbled mess inside of the drawer itself. However…

a white, barely noticeable string can be seen near the front of the drawer, which blended in greatly with the crumbled bits of paper he found inside of the drawer. Matt's left hand-paw grabs the string and pulls it upward, thus pulling the fake surface upward and revealing the hidden contents underneath. Alas, two rectangular envelopes were spotted under the fake drawer surface, one labeled 'Antidote' and the other labeled 'Vaccine'.

"At least John was honest about where he put the notes to both the vaccine and the antidote", Matt commented softly, using his right hand-paw to grab a hold of both envelopes before placing them inside of his right cargo pants pocket. He gently places the fake cover back onto the surface of the drawer and closes it all together, right before the tod grabs a hold of the journal and rolls it prior to placing the diary inside of the left pants pocket. With the notes and the journal in his possession, the fox walks out of the office and turns to the left, where he continues onward to the location of the courtyard.

And waiting at the courtyard would be the two people he needed to save, along with his final opponent: Tatsumi, leader of the Neo-Yaminobu clan.

Bellwether Enterprises Parking Lot

All was quiet within the front parking lot, where nothing but the howling of the cold, northern winds passing through New Otsu occupying the vacant silence within. Snow continued to fall onto the ground almost quickly and even started to freeze the roads slightly, yet mostly covered the ground with thick amounts of snow. The lot, for the most part, was completely uninhabited with the exception of one particular, beat up truck, with only one rabbit occupying the vehicle.

Judy Hopps was resting within the confines of the truck with nothing but Matt's wakizashi equipped in case if she were to be attacked. Fortunately for her, that hadn't happened yet, much to her relief. But regardless of her current situation, however, boredom found its way to her and soon began thumping her right foot onto the floorboard to pass the time. Not that it did much, of course.

However, the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps caused the bunny's ears to perk up unexpectedly, causing the rabbit to turn her head towards the left and gaze at the approaching mammal. Her eyes widen with unexpected surprise, but mostly out of relief the instant she recognized the male rabbit. She was about to scoot towards the driver's side of the truck, but the male bunny beats her to it by quickly opening the door and jumping into the truck.

"Dad!" Judy exclaimed out of relief right before she wraps her arms around her father's torso, burying her face onto her father's right shoulder almost immediately. "Oh, thank god you're alive!" the doe exclaimed with pure relief, her eyes starting to water with a couple of sobs leaving her mouth.

"Don't worry about me, Jude the dude. It'll take a lot more than a nasty beating to take out this old buck", Stu chuckled with his words, despite his current condition. Though now that he mentioned them, the doe looks up towards her father and examined Stu's facial injuries, her eyes remaining wide and losing her smile at such a sight.

"Oh god…" Judy uttered under her breath at the sight of his wounds, not expecting her father's injuries to be more serious than she anticipated. She was grateful to the fact her father was still alive, and was grateful to the fact Matt had kept his promise. Speaking of which…. "Dad, where's Matt?" that question in particular caused her father to turn towards his daughter, losing the gentle smile that was on his face.

"Matt's still in the basement level as we speak", Stu answered almost immediately, turning his head away from his daughter before letting a soft sigh leave his mouth. "He got shot by some sort of-"

"He got shot?!" Judy suddenly yelled at the mentioning of Matt getting shot. Her hand-paws suddenly grab a hold of Stu's right arm and frantically started shaking it. "Dad! We gotta get Matt out of there! He needs immediate-"

"Judy! Listen to me!" Stu interrupted while simultaneously turning towards her and grabbing a hold of his daughter's shoulders. "He wasn't shot by a bullet. He was shot by some sort of 'Night Howler' pellet, or whatever it was", the rabbit explained, right before closing his eyes for a moment to let out a calm sigh and reopen his eyes, which gaze directly towards his daughter's amethyst pair. "Look, Jude. I don't think something like that will take him down easily. Especially if he's using a sword technique similar to Hiko's", he added in an attempt to reassure his daughter, especially if he knew Matt was using the Hiten Mitsurugi sword technique. However, he soon started to cock a curious brow at her. "How did you find me?"

"I followed Matt here", Judy answered, her own hand-paws tightly clutching the wakizashi Matt had lent her prior to entering the facility in his current condition. "I tried searching for you all night ever since the attack last night. I found myself back in New Otsu thinking I would find you. But during my search, I heard an explosion go off in the woods and went to investigate it".

"Explosion?!" Stu asked in complete bewilderment, not expecting learn about this.

"Yeah", Judy nodded once with her response. "That's when I found Matt fighting with two of the Neo-Yaminobu Ninjas from last night".

"Neo-Yaminobu what?" Stu asked, unsure of what to make of this since he hadn't heard of the name.

"The guys who attacked us last night at the motel", Judy answered. "One of them got away despite Matt using the wakizashi he's letting me borrow to pin his right hand-paw onto the tree. The other guy died after he set off an explosion in an attempt to try and kill Matt…" the bunny explained, yet turns away from her father and tightens her grip on the sheath and hilt of Matt's wakizashi.

"Good lord…" Stu spoke with surprise before turning towards the front, his ears perked upward as he continued. "That answers a few questions on how he became a bloody mess", he added, yet turns his head towards his daughter after a particular question came into his mind. "Wait a second, why were those ninjas after Matt in the first place. What's Matt doing here?"

"Matt's trying to save Jenny and his aunt, Tomoe. I'm not entirely certain on how they got here, but it has something to do with the Neo-Yaminobu", Judy started. "As for why they were after Matt… apparently, they're after him because he's the assassin who killed over four hundred mammals in a course of three years".

"What?!" Stu exclaimed with shock, his eyes shot wide open, and his mouth agape. "He's killed over four hundred mammals?! Is he-"

"Battousai the Animal Slayer, yes", Judy interrupted. "Believe me, I was just as shocked when I first found out about this…" she commented regarding the subject matter, closing her eyes and letting a light sigh leave her mouth. "However…" she began, only to pause for a moment to reopen her eyes and turn her head towards her. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be able to find you, and he certainly kept his promise".

"Promise?" Stu asked.

"His promise to bring you back alive", Judy answered, right before her ears perk up at a question popping into her head. "Is Matt still in the basement level?" she asked with a concerned tone in her voice.

"I don't know to be honest", Stu replied as he slightly shook his head. "For all I know, he might still be down there…"

"…or he might still be looking for Tomoe and Jenny", Judy concluded, right before turning towards her father and grabbing his right arm. "Dad, we have to help Matt! He doesn't know what he's up against!"

"W-What?!" Stu replied with shock in his voice and notices his daughter turning away from him and immediately reaching for the passenger side door. However, he grabs a hold of his daughter's shoulders right before Judy could open the door, turning her to face him almost immediately. "Judy! Are you insane?! That tiger will kill us!"

"We can't just leave him here to die!" Judy shouted with her hand-paws clutching the hilt and sheath of the wakizashi. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have been able to find you, land you would've most likely died by those ninjas!" the bunny continued with a loud voice, bearing her teeth towards her father as she spoke. Stu was about to respond right before the bunny herself suddenly opens the door and rushes out of the truck, only for her to sprint directly towards the two glass sliding doors much to the male bunny's dismay.

"Judy, wait! You can't go!" Stu shouted while quickly jumping out of the truck and rushing towards his daughter. But by the time she was halfway, the female rabbit had already rushed into the facility, much to the man's dislike. "Dammit…" he shook his head as he cursed under his breath for failing to stop his daughter. But even if he tried to stop her, he already knew it would be impossible to cease her actions.

After all his daughter, Judy Hopps is a trier, and always had been ever since she was a child.

But even if she was, there was no way in hell he was gonna let something happen to his daughter! Despite being reluctant on helping because of the circumstances of the situation, he rushes into the building and follows his daughter, wanting to do whatever he could to keep her safe and perhaps lend a helping hand in saving the others.

The fourth floor Courtyard

The howling of the snow can be heard from the fourth floor courtyard, some of the snow blowing through the area despite the occupants who inhabit the place. Tatsumi, the leader of the Neo-Yaminobu Ninjas, stood at the very heart of the courtyard itself, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Jenny and Tomoe continued to hold each other in a comforting embrace despite the cold winds blowing through the courtyard. But one thing the three had in common was the fact they were waiting for one person in particular.

Matt Wilde, or as the Neo-Shogunates have referred to him with many names, yet the most common ones being Battousai the Animal Slayer and Hitokiri Battousai.

The reasons behind them were entirely different, however. For Jenny and Tomoe, they waited for Matt to save them from Tatsumi's grasp, even if Tomoe had lead her and Jenny into this situation. Tatsumi, on the other hand, was waiting for the assassin to arrive in order to put an end to the fox. Both parties continue to wait patiently for the fox to arrive, with nothing but the howling of the wind accompanying the silence of this partially inhabited place.

However, all ears and eyes perk in the direction of the double doors the instant the sound of one of them opening was heard. And alas, the one they had waited for had arrived, with his left hand-paw clutching the sheath of his katana and his thumb holding the guard of his blade. His eyes were narrowed directly at the tiger, even with his long bangs covering them from the angle where Jenny and Tomoe were looking. Tatsumi, on the other hand, can see the fire in the assassin's eyes, and noticing how the assassin stood. It was almost as if the injuries he's sustained were never there. But that wasn't gonna stop the ninja from executing his plans whatsoever. Not by a long shot!

"There you are! I'm glad to see you've managed to save a little energy for me, Battousai", Tatsumi began calmly, albeit with a hint of a growl in his voice. "I'm going to personally make you pay for every crime you've committed against the Neo-Shogunate. It is the only way I can atone for not being able to protect my envoys from you in the first place", the tiger continued, only to receive a scoff from the vulpine himself.

"Heh, last I checked, Tatsumi, I don't see how that's my problem", Matt replied with a slight growl, yet there was a hint of a chuckle in his voice. "You should've thought about that before you've sent your comrades after my ass. But more importantly", the vulpine paused for a moment, right before he narrowed his eyes slightly with his brows strongly furrowed. You've should've thought about that before you kidnapped my brother and tried to kill him", the fox added, recalling the events that had transpired in Zootopia roughly a month prior.

"We needed every available resource and liability to destroy you, regardless of the extremity of the weapons we use to achieve those goals", Tatsumi explained, his hand-paws clenching into a fist and glaring at the vulpine with his piercing eyes.

"Even if it meant getting the Hopps family involved in this whole mess because of my actions?" Matt asked angrily with his brows furrowed, albeit with his voice strangely calm and collected. "It's one thing to keep personal matters between us. But the fact that you've kidnapped and nearly killed the Hopps patriarch is an entirely different story!" he exclaimed with his anger rising to the point he could barely keep his anger, the urge to kill him right here and now, under control. "Honestly, I don't know what you're trying to concoct here, but this shit ends now!"

"I agree", Tatsumi replied with all honesty in his voice. "After I kill you with my own claws, your corpse will be displayed on the streets as a final warning, and this poor rebellion will die!", the tiger declared with a growl in his voice, snarling at the fox and baring his sharp, white fangs towards the smaller predator. "The power of the Neo-Shogunate is absolute! Now die knowing you had lived a meaningless life!" with those words, the tiger leaned forward and prepared to sprint towards the fox. However, he stopped right as he heard another scoff leaving the fox's mouth. Matt himself steps into his battojutsu stance, pulling his left foot back and reaching for the hilt of his sword with his right hand-paw.

"We'll see about that, buddy", Matt replied, his glowing, jade green eyes giving the tiger a piercing glare. "And even if I lose my life in this battle", now there was something disturbingly odd about the way Matt's voice was heard with those particular words, with Jenny, Tomoe, even Tatsumi giving the fox a surprised look in their eyes. Tomoe could've swore there were two voices speaking in complete synchronization, the second one being strikingly familiar. "I will have my revenge…", although those words left the assassin's mouth, the voices that came out of them were that of both Matt… and someone both he and Tomoe had lost not so long ago. "…even in DEATH!" as those words left his mouth, the two synchronized voices of both Matt and the familiar voice shifted closer towards the second voice, the eyes of everyone, especially Tomoe's, widen with an unexpected level of shock.

"Victor?!" Tomoe exclaimed, not expecting to hear her dead brother's voice through Matt's own mouth, the male vulpine turning towards her following a gentle smirk forming on his muzzle. However, he loses the smirk and turns towards the ninja, who was no longer staring at him with wide eyes, but with a narrow pair and furrowed brows.

"So it seems the spirit of John Victor Wilde had lingered on and managed to settle in the assassin's body", Tatsumi thought calmly, despite the fact his fangs were barred towards the vulpine before him. "If I am to defeat the assassin, I must dread carefully", with his train of though finished, the fox standing nearly twenty meters away tightens his grip on the sword and narrows his eyes at the tiger himself.

"Your move", Matt said with a growl, using his own voice instead of the voice that belonged to his own father. Tatsumi's eyes widen only the slightest from the change in voice, but that didn't stop him from seizing the opportunity to make the first attack.

Tatsumi immediately sprints towards the fox's direction with haste, right as the Battousai tightens his grip on the hilt of his sword. The tiger attempts to throw a punch whilst hastily sprinting at the fox to maximize the power behind it. But the assassin, however, quickly unsheathes his sword and swung it directly at the tiger. Although the tiger was fast enough to evade what would've been an instant death, it wasn't enough for the assassin to strike the tiger's chest with the diagonal slash attack.

Blood quickly immediately started to splurt out of the injury, yet the wound wasn't deep enough for it to be considered an overly severe injury. No, the tiger merely sprints towards the fox despite the wound he had received. Tatsumi pulls his right arm back and attempted to throw a punch towards the fox. But the attack would not make any contact whatsoever, because almost instantly, the fox quickly pulls the sheath from his belt and lips the sheath upward, instantly jabbing the bottom end of it up against the right side of Tatsumi's jaw.

The tiger was knocked back quite a bit from the attack, not to mention roughly four of his teeth were knocked out in the process, with blood pouring out of his muzzle immediately after being struck by the attack. He growled only for the briefest of moments, but the ninja recuperates and dashes towards the vulpine once again. Matt's glowing, jade green eyes remain locked with the larger, approaching predator, tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword and its sheath. A loud, battle-ridden growl left the tiger's mouth and attempts to hurl another punch at the fox. But instead of connecting with the fox, the vulpine swiftly blocks it with the sheath of his sword and attempts to strike his opponent with his own blade.

Unfortunately for him, the attack wouldn't connect with its intended target. Tatsumi raises his left arm upward and blocks the sharp edge of his blade with his hard bracers. That was the instant the tiger sought the opportunity to push the blade out of the way and strike the right side of his face with his left clenched fist. Matt grunts in pain for a moment right as he was literally sent flying towards the wall, right towards where the double doors were located. The fox quickly recovers from the attack and plants his feet on the wall where he would've found himself crashing against, pushing himself towards the tiger right after he recovered.

As the fight between the two men continued on, both Jenny and Tomoe watch the ongoing battle between Neo-Shogun and Neo-Imperialist with eyes filled with surprise. Yeah, both knew they were competent in battle, but neither one of them expected Matt to be much stronger than they'd expected. It was almost hard to believe, even with the fact Matt had drew first blood against his opponent. However, in one short instance, their eyes managed to capture a blue colored speck on the left side of his neck, something they hadn't noticed until now. But when they noticed it, a gasp escaped Jenny's mouth upon realizing what it was.

"Matt's been shot with a night howler!" Jenny exclaimed, her mind forming numerous questions even while she turned towards the vixen next to her. "How the hell is he not-"

"Victor…", Tomoe softly interrupted, yet Jenny's ears perked at this and looks directly at the vixen with curiosity and confusion.

"Victor…?" Jenny began and was about to ask who it was. But then it immediately clicked inside of her mind. She realized Tomoe was referring to her older brother, the same fox she had lost several months ago, who's voice she had heard those eight words leave Matt's mouth, completely oblivious to the fact those same words played a more significant role than they realized. "Wait a second, you're referring to your brother, aren't you?"

"Yes", Tomoe replied with a gentle nod. "Victor's spirit must've lingered on and managed to rid the night howler influence from his body", the vixen added, yet the bunny gave her a confused look at first before nodding with understanding on the matter. but the bunny could've sworn she saw the vixen faintly smiling as she watched the ongoing battle. "Even in the afterlife, he's still watching over his son", with that thought coursing her mind, the vixen continues to watch the ongoing battle with the bunny next to her, her eyes narrowing only slightly, yet filled with determination.

Although Tomoe and Jenny were physically at the sight watching the ongoing battle, they weren't the only ones watching the fight play out. Enishi Yukishiro Wilde and Dawn Bellwether are currently residing on the fifth floor surveillance room watching the entire fight carry out via the camera system. Their eyes watch the battle intently. Their hopes were for the Neo-Yaminobu ninja clan leader to murder the Battousai swiftly, but with how the battle was being carried out, it seemed the assassin had the upper hand. It was honestly infuriating, even to the point where a growl suddenly left the ewe's mouth and slammed her clenched hoofs onto the table in front of the monitor.

"Dammit!" Dawn exclaimed with seething teeth. "I don't understand how this is possible! How the hell is he able to resist the night howler's influence?!" she asked angrily, even as her enraged green eyes continue to gaze at the monitor, watching both Tatsumi and Matt Wilde continue their battle. But before she can continue with her rant, a soft sigh left the fox's mouth and catches her attention, the ewe turning directly to Enishi shortly after he had exhaled his breath.

"As I've said before, you should know better than to assume the Night Howler serum would have any effect on an assassin of this caliber", Enishi claimed with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed upon the widescreen monitor and continuing to watch the ongoing battle. "Not even the strongest dose of the night howlers would ever be able to break an assassin, so long their wits remain as sharp as their sword", the fox concluded with his claim, keeping his eyes focused on the ongoing battle depicted on screen.

Or that would've been the case if he didn't catch movement on the top right monitor, his eyes capturing two rabbits entering the elevator on the first floor, recognizing one of them as Stu Hopps, the same rabbit the Neo-Yaminobu captured last night. The female rabbit who accompanied him, nobody knew. However, something about the bunny suspected she was knew the male rabbit in some way. But whatever the relationship, neither Dawn nor Enishi knew.

"Isn't that the same bunny the Neo-Yaminobu captured last night?", Dawn asked calmly, cocking a curious brow at the top right monitor.

"Yes", Enishi replied with a nod. "I already had a feeling Matt would do something like this before he even arrived. But to think he'd bring along that bunny with him…" he continued, his brows slightly furrowing a bit more as the vulpine continued to watch the top right monitor.

Although his facial expression bore a calmly serious appearance, what he was feeling on the inside was an entirely different story. Yeah, he wasn't surprised his own nephew had managed to free the bunny from his imprisonment, but it was still infuriating to say the least. But unlike the ewe sitting next to him, he didn't dare express his anger,

Besides, one of them had to be the more calm and collected one, right?

"So what do you think their relationship is to one another?" Dawn asked with a much calmer tone than the infuriated one she had a few moments before. That question in particular snapped the fox out of his trance and slightly turns his head towards the ewe's direction, shifting his gaze from the monitor to the sheep herself.

"You mean Matt and the eastern cottontail?" Enishi asked.

"No", Dawn answered. "I mean the relationship between the female rabbit accompanying the bunny we've captured. What do you think their relationship is with one another?" after hearing the sheep clarify what she meant behind her question, the fox gave an understanding grunt in return and turns his attention back towards the monitor depicting the ongoing battle.

"I'm not entirely certain", Enishi replied calmly, but with an honest tone nonetheless. "But if I were to guess, I would say she's a relative of some sort. Whether she's his niece, daughter, or cousin, I can't say", he finished, all while the ewe nodded once at him before turning towards the ongoing battle being displayed on the middle monitor.

If they had checked the monitor depicting the fourth floor level, they would've noticed the two bunnies having entered the fourth floor and making their way towards the twin doors, completely oblivious to the ongoing battle taking place outside.

The fourth Floor Courtyard

Fists and a steel blade were continuously being swung inside the fourth floor courtyard, and the tension in the air continued to grow anxiously thicker. All eyes were fixed upon the ongoing battle between the Neo-Yaminobu clan leader and Battousai the Animal Slayer, with the mouths of Tomoe and Jenny slightly agape from how intense the fight had progressed. Hell, they could've sworn they literally felt the force of the shock waves coming from the attack.

Regardless of the shocked state they were in, Jenny and Tomoe's ears suddenly perk at the sound of the twin doors opening from the entrance many meters away from their position. Their attention quickly shifts from the ongoing battle towards the doors. Their eyes instantly widen the moment they saw two familiar faces arriving on the scene.

Judy Hopps and her father, Stu, had arrived to the fourth floor and immediately set their eyes upon the ongoing battle between the Battousai and the Neo-Yaminobu ninja clan leader. Fists were swung with sheer force against the fox, much like his blade swung against the tiger himself. Both men were on equal ground, one large and built with strong amount of muscle, and the other, while also built with a good amount of muscle, was smaller in size, yet made it up with the god-like speed of his Hiten Mitsurugi sword technique. Not even Matt's injuries had hindered his ability to fight in any manner. Both of them couldn't keep their eyes off of the fight, let alone the fox himself.

"Good god! How the hell's Matt holding himself against that tiger?!" Stu suddenly exclaimed at the sight of the ongoing battle, shocked at the intensity of the blows the two warriors were delivering against one another. Like Tomoe and Jenny, both he and Judy could literally feel the shock waves their attacks were giving off, whether fist collided with steel or vice versa. "Look at that, Jude! How the hell is he-"

"Dad! We don't have time to discuss that! We need to get them out of here, starting with Jenny and Tomoe!" Judy interrupted while simultaneously grabbing her father's left arm with her right hand-paw and causing the old buck to lose his train of thought. He was about to respond, but being dragged towards Tomoe and Jenny immediately ceased the words from leaving his mouth.

In all honestly, he was surprised by how strong his daughter is during times of distress, or even if she has any goals set in her sights. Even if he wanted to say something regarding the fight, there was one thing his daughter said that was absolutely right! They needed to get Jenny and Tomoe out of there, starting by using the fight between Matt and Tatsumi to their advantage. The two rabbits make it to their intended targets and kneel next to them.

"Jenny, Tomoe! Are you both alright?" Stu asked, although shortly after he did, the buck discovered the bruise that accompanied the left side of her face. He winced slightly at the sight, yet the vixen gave a gentle nod towards the buck.

"Yeah, we're alright", Tomoe answered with a nod, yet she soon starts looking at the two Hopps bunnies with a cock brow. "But how did you two get here? What are you doing here?"

"Long story", Stu and Judy replied simultaneously, yet the tones of their voices were serious, and their minds were focused on one thing.

"Look, we don't have time to discuss that right now. We need to get you out of here, and now!" Judy exclaimed with a serious, perhaps authoritative tone of voice.

We can't!" Jenny replied with a serious, yet urgent tone in her voice. "We can't leave Matt here to die! We have to get-"

"Jenny, listen to me!" Judy interrupted and simultaneously grabs a hold of her friend's shoulders. "Matt's able to handle himself just fine. I saw him fight two ninjas with my own eyes", that caught the English-born bunny by surprise. Yeah, she already figured he had already slain the Neo-Yaminobu ninjas on the way here, but she didn't expect Judy to be a witness to them, or one of the battles at the very least. "Dad and I will come back for him once we get you two out of here".

"But-"

"Jenny!" Judy quickly interrupted, silencing whatever words the English bunny wanted, needed to say, and gazed towards her friend with her sapphire blue eyes. "Look, I know you're concerned about your lover, I really do. However, you and I both know Matt's the Battousai, and he definitely would've wanted you and Tomoe to get out of here while he fought", the gray furred doe paused shortly after and turns towards the direction of the two fighters, a slight hint of a gentle, determined smile forming on her face. "To be honest, even with the injuries Matt sustained, I highly doubt anything will be able to kill him easily", she added, drawing her gaze away from the battle and towards Jenny, who was now staring at her in awe. "Besides, I put my complete trust in Matt", those last words, even in the midst of the ongoing battle, had somehow managed to provide a reassuring sense of comfort within Jenny herself. That was when the other female doe turns towards Matt and smiles gently towards the fox. Her fox.

But right as Jenny and Tomoe were about to follow Judy and Stu out of the facility, Tatsumi manages to block Matt's aerial sweep and turns towards the group, his eyes widening at the sight of the buck whom he and his fellow ninjas had captured last night. The tiger let out a frustrated growl and narrows his gaze at the four mammals, who were now starting to flee from the courtyard.

"Damn! I've should've known the Battousai would've had a hand in freeing the buck from his imprisonment", Tatsumi thought angrily at the sight of the group continuing to draw closer to the twin doors. But a second later, an idea suddenly formulates inside of his own head, and the tiger himself started to grin only slightly. "But no matter. I only need to devise one distraction, and I'll be able to slay his companions in an instant".

It didn't take him longer the opportune moment to knock at his door. He shifts his gaze back towards the assassin and sprints at this direction, a loud battle driven growl leaving his mouth and pulling his right fist back as if he were to attack. The Battousai narrows his eyes at the ninja and raises his blade, preparing to strike when the opportunity struck.

Unfortunately for the fox, the opportune moment never came. Right as the tiger got close, he 'disappears' right before the fox's eyes and caught the vulpine off guard. His eyes widen slightly from this, but his ears flicker at the sound of rapid footsteps quickly darting away from him. He turns towards the source of the noise and his eyes shoot wide with shock. He immediately realized what Tatsumi had planned all along.

He wasn't trying to go after him with his attack, but to create a diversion in order to get to Jenny and the others. Tatsumi intending to kill his companions, but he wasn't going to let that happen. Not on his watch!

His eyes narrow and his jade green eyes glow with a fire burning with rage, to the point they shift into a fiery yellow color. Matt sheathes his sword before quickly 'disappearing' and immediately made his way towards the tiger with god-like speed. Tatsumi immediately got in front of the four smaller mammals and raises his right fist in preparation to strike them down in one powerful punch. He throws his right fist directly towards Jenny right as she let out a horrified scream and raises her arms in front of her. The English born doe's eyes close and turns her head away from the tiger, not wanting to watch the end of her life before her very eyes.

But the attack would never come through, because right as Tatsumi's fist drew close towards the bunny, the fox had arrived just in time to grab a hold of his fist with his own right hand-paw effortlessly, much to Tatsumi's surprise. The muscles on his right arm bulged slightly from holding his arm back, and veins were noticeably coursing his bicep and his forearms. Growls were constantly leaving his mouth as Matt's 'animal slayer' eyes glared directly at the tiger's face.

"Your fight's with me", Matt growled with a gruff voice, the eyes of Judy, Tomoe, Stu gazed directly at the strong vulpine. Jenny lowers her arm and turns towards her lover, her eyes widening with surprise upon seeing the fox managing to hold off the tigers attack effortlessly.

Angered by the fact the assassin was able to grab his right fist in the midst of an attack, the tiger became infuriated and immediately curls his left hand-paw into a fist before pulling it back. Tatsumi throws his fist towards the right side of the fox's face. The attack would not come to pass, however, because immediately after the tiger attempted to strike him, the vulpine grabs his sword by the sheath and rotates it upward. That was the instant he jabs the bottom of the sheath into the tiger's right eye socket and knocks him backwards, pulling the now bloodstained sheathed blade out and turns towards the others.

"What are you waiting for! Get out of here while you still have the chance!" Matt urged the four mammals in an attempt to get them out of there. But before either one could make a move, Tatsumi makes an aerial recovery and darts at the fox, grabbing him by his shirt and successfully throwing the mammal in the opposite direction.

But the tiger wasn't through with his attack. He suddenly 'teleports' from where he stood and immediately darts towards the fox, successfully managing to strike his stomach with a fierce knee kick. A loud yelp of pain pain escaped the fox's mouth, along with a good portion of blood. Matt attempted to pull his sword out of its sheath, but the tiger starts striking the fox with both clenched hand-paws rapidly across his muscular torso.

"MATT!" Jenny, Judy, and Stu shouted after witnessing the brutal assault Matt was now currently dealing with, the fox's pained cries causing an immense pain within Jenny's own heart. The English doe covers her mouth and shook her head a few times, with tears starting to form in her eyes.

Tomoe, on the other hand, couldn't utter a single word, yet her eyes were wide and her mouth slightly agape. She felt a similar pain Jenny had felt, yet was more motherly than that of a lover's own. But she couldn't allow her own nephew to lose his life, she had to help Matt in some way.

But how…?

The repetitive punches soon came to an end with a fierce right uppercut, which struck Matt under his jaw and knocked the vulpine a good fifteen feet in the air. Matt quickly spat another chunk of blood from his mouth, even as some of it began dripping down his mouth. He was somehow lucky that none of his teeth were knocked out, let alone cracked from the force of Tatsumi's attack! The vulpine, however, despite the amount of intense pain he was in, manages to recover by landing onto his feet-paws. The fox began panting in pain, and even coughed a small portion of blood in the process.

The tiger sought the opportunity to strike his opponent again after seeing him gasping in pain, but failed to notice the fox grabbing the hilt of his own blade. He got close and prepared to strike the assassin, but immediately stopped himself when he noticed the Battousai swiftly drawing his blade for a diagonal sweep. Fortunately for Tatsumi, he pulls back swiftly enough to where the assassin's blade misses him by a mere inch.

Despite the fact the assassin had missed, the fox continues his attacks against the tiger, mainly performing horizontal or diagonal sweeps with his blade. None of them did any damage, however, because either Tatsumi had managed to dodge them, or blocked them with his samurai tekkou bracer covered forearms. That wasn't the only thing, however. Because of the amount of injuries he's sustained just now, Matt had lost his god-like speed and can barely keep up with Tatsumi.

Matt attempts to strike him down by jumping into the air and attempting to strike him from above. Tatsumi, however, raises his left arm up and blocks his blade with his samurai bracer. That was the instant he knee kicks the fox in the stomach and raises his arms upward, grasping his hand-paws together and striking the fox's back. The tiger jumps several yards away from the assassin after knocking him onto the ground, and at that point, the Battousai himself was already having a hard time with standing back up onto his feet-paws. He even had to use his sword once again as means of supporting himself.

With the condition the fox was currently in, Tatsumi gazed at the fox with a stern expression on his face, crossing his arms and furrowing his brows at the injured assassin. He looks over the vulpine's injured form and noticed the wounds he sustained earlier in the forest had reopened, and his yellow colored 'animal slayer' eyes returned to their jade green colored pair. But as he continued to gaze at the vulpine in his current state, he couldn't help but smirk slightly at the sight.

"How was that target determined by hand-paws and footwork? Approach and break, repeated? Never extending yourself too far?" Tatsumi asked with his eyes narrowed at the fox, his arms crossed and the smirk remaining plastered on his face. "Well it doesn't matter. You can't kill with a single blow in your current condition, but even with that being the case you still managed to wear out your opponent's energy little by little", the tiger added in which he openly admitted some of his own strength was starting to wane, but that didn't mean he didn't have enough to eliminate the assassin. His eyes trail down towards the assassin's right hand-paw and notices the grip on the hilt of his blade starting to loosen. "Also, the combined effects of your great loss of blood, along with the cold weather conditions coming into the outside courtyard mean you've lost your bodily senses. With the loss of touch, the fourth barrier is complete", as soon as he mentioned that in particular, the ears of the three rabbits perk upward and their eyes widen with a mixture of shock and confusion, yet the confusion had been the more dominant of the two.

"Fourth Barrier?" Jenny asked. "What did he mean by-"

"Oh no…" Tomoe suddenly uttered under her breath, yet the three rabbits heard her barely audible words and turn towards the vixen.

"What is it, Tomoe…?" Jenny asked, slowly approaching her and grabbing her right arm gently as she did. "What did he mean by the fourth barrier?" she asked again, but the vixen didn't turn her head towards her at all. Her eyes remain locked towards both the assassin and the Neo-Yaminobu clan leader himself.

"That's what they planned all along…" Tomoe began, keeping her eyes locked at the two warriors as she continued. "They were trying to eliminate Matt's senses in order to weaken him, starting with his intuition", she explained.

"He must've lost much of his sight and hearing on the way here", Judy claimed. "Matt's ears were bleeding when I saw the fight between him and two of the ninjas during my search",

"And even if his father's spirit helped him regain his sense of sight and hearing, his touch has now been affected", Tomoe responded. "With the current state he's in, I don't know how much longer he can hold himself", she added, and as much as she wanted to believe her nephew could make it out of this mess, she was honestly unsure if she could not not. She closes her eyes and lets out a calm sigh. "Victor… please watch over Matt… not just for my sake, bur for Jenny's as well".

Even as that thought coursed the vixen's mind, Tatsumi retains his smirk and his gaze towards the fox before him. Matt's panting breaths gradually became heavier, and his vision was starting to blur gradually as well. The attacks he received were starting to take its toll on him, and the blood loss only made the toll that much heavier. He can hardly feel a damn thing either, not even the failing grip he had on his sword. But he can't die here. Not while he had others waiting for him.

"Whether you think of it as cowardly or not, it doesn't matter", Tatsumi began. "This is the greatest weapon of an old soldier. Even a young prodigy like yourself can easily be outwitted… that's what I came to accept after years in the battle field. Call me an old fox, if you must", the tiger continued, with Matt's head tilting upward slightly at the last part of his remark, particularly with the meaning behind it. It was honestly offensive to say the least. "I will admit you had fought well like a valiant samurai. However, you cannot win this battle in your current state. Is death inching even closer? Or will you die an instant death? You should at the very least get to decide".

Those two questions caused the fox's eyes to widen only slightly, yet he knew for a fact they bore a greater significance. As much as he hated to admit it, he was honestly screwed, unless he was able to pull off some sort of miracle. He didn't know what to do at this exact moment, nor did he have the energy to continue fighting. He closes his eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath, exhaling through both his mouth and nose before reopening them half-liddedly, locking his eyes at the tiger with his brows furrowed.

"You're right… I can't win in my current state", Matt admitted calmly, much to the surprise of the three rabbits. Although Tomoe wasn't surprise, her eyes still widened and a slightly audible gasp left her mouth, not expecting Matt to admit the truth himself.

"So a quick death, then", Tatsumi guessed right as he saw the fox placing the sheath of his sword back through his belt, and doing his best to tighten his grip on the hilt of his blade with his right hand-paw. It was in that moment Matt closes his eyes and lets a calm sigh leave his mouth, even if this one would be his last.

"But even with my injuries, if I can kill Tatsumi at the same time he tries to kill me, I might be able to save the others from harm", Matt thought inside of his mind, keeping his hold on his blade as he continued. "If I can't rely on my senses, then I'll sacrifice myself and risk everything on one last blow", the fox continued in his mind, right as the images of his four siblings began to enter his mind. "Nick… Terrance… Melissa… Tauriel. It looks like I won't be able to see you again after all", after he said those words in his mind, the images of his siblings disappeared and were replaced with the images of both his aunt and his beloved. "Tomoe… Jenny… live on in the new era, and be happy", and right after that final thought coursed his mind, tilts his head back and lets a battle-driven growl leave the back of his mouth, right before he started rushing towards the ninja as fast as his weary body would allow him to.

Everyone but Tatsumi gasped in shock upon seeing the injured fox rushing towards the ninja, with Jenny starting to become devastated to the fact she knew what she was about to do. She immediately realized that, by doing this, he was gonna pay the ultimate price, and realized something needed to be done quickly if his life were to be spared.

But that wasn't the only thing she or the others saw! Their eyes shift towards the tiger and notices him grabbing something out of his left pants pocket, only to see him pulling Jenny's dagger out of his pocket and pulling the sheath off of the blade. Both hand-paws grasp the small hilt and leans his upper body forward, right before he began sprinting towards the assassin with one clear intention.

"He's gonna kill Matt!" Jenny shouted right before she turns towards Judy and quickly grabs the wakizashi from the other doe's grip, right before the bunny starts darting towards the two men in an attempt to save Matt.

But a fox sized forearm immediately blocks the bunny from progressing any further, causing Jenny to turn towards Tomoe with her brows furrowing directly towards the vixen. She was about to snap, but stopped when the vixen turns her head towards her. But that wasn't what necessarily stopped the bunny from speaking. It was the fact she was smiling with her eyes closed, and it legitimately started to confuse the hell out of her.

"Tomoe…?" jenny began, her furrowed brows arching upward in confusion, yet the vixen retained her smile and even reopened her eyes less than half-liddedly. Just what was this vixen thinking about, and why was she smiling all of the sudden?

"Thank you for everything, Jenny. I'm glad I was able to meet you", Tomoe began, but paused for a moment and turns towards both Matt and Tatsumi. In that moment, she knew what she had to do. "Take care of Matt for me", and before either Jenny or the other rabbits could reply, the vixen immediately started sprinting away from them, ignoring their pleas to come back.

It was a moment after Tomoe started heading towards the fight when Matt began to raise his blade upward, slowly moving his left hand-paw up towards the hilt of his sword and grabbing the bottom of the hilt. Gripping it tightly by the bottom of the handle, and partially by the buttcap, he swings the sword forward in preparation for the final blow.

The one blow that'll succeed in killing Tatsumi, failing and killing Matt in the end, or perhaps successfully killing Tatsumi while being killed by the ninja simultaneously.

One last blow to decide the outcome of the attack.

However, the fox himself soon found himself in nothing but darkness, even if an unknown light source began illuminating onto Matt's injured body, with rose pedals descending from above like snow falling onto the ground. Matt's eyes were closed, thus failing to see a pair of bunny sized hand-paws reaching over to gently cup his face from behind.

"You could've lived like this, if you hadn't picked up a sword", the voice of Jenny began, the fox's left hand-paw reaching to cup the bunny's own corresponding hand "You'd be happy with some land, seeds to plant, and a few fishing rods by your side", her voice added even as the fox himself gently lowers her hand-paws and turns towards her direction. But even when he did that did the rabbit's arms pull back into darkness.

"Now that we have the time", the voices of both Matt and Jenny simultaneously said, even as it echoes in the realm of darkness he occupied, despite the sunlight-like lighting illuminating his body and the falling rose pedals from the west. He took several steps forward in the direction where Jenny's arms had came from as if he were searching for the bunny herself.

The flow of dark brown/blonde mixed hair caught the fox's attention almost instantly, the fox slowly turning his head to the right and slowly turning towards the west. He saw the hair flow towards the north and was about to follow the direction it headed. But an unsettling, rather familiar sight caught his attention and stopped him on his tracks.

The plane of darkness that once occupied this land had been replaced with the improvised graveyard Matt had created many years ago as a kit, shortly after the incident at the Tri-Burrows Correctional Camp where he had lost someone dear to him. But being here wasn't the reason why it was unsettling. It was the fact Tomoe's lavender silk scarf was tied around the front-most wooden cross in the graveyard, and it was beginning to unsettle the vulpine further than whatever this vision intended. He stared at it blankly for a moment, his grip on the hilt of his sword neither loose nor firm.

"Jenny… Tomoe…" Matt began with a barely audible voice, his jade green eyes remaining fixed on the cross bearing Tomoe's scarf around it. "I will… I'll… protect you…"

An agonizing masculine scream immediately filled the entire courtyard the instant Matt's blade began piercing Tatsumi's furred flesh from his left shoulder down to the middle of his torso. The grotesque sound of the sharp blade severing through the tiger's flesh and the repulsive sound of bones cracking alongside his attack. Tatsumi's eyes widen and his mouth agape as blood began splattering heavily out of the wound and out of his mouth.

Matt's ears flicker at the horrified gasps escape the mouths of Jenny, Judy, and Stu and was about to turn towards their direction. But his nose wiggled at a particularly familiar scent that was just as common as the smell of blood.

White plum.

His eyes reopen slowly and gaze towards the two figures in front of him. Wait a minute, two figures?! That thought instantly crossed his mind as his eyes widen with unexpected surprise, especially since the second one managed to grab the hand-paw with her left hand-paw and the right grabbing the dagger by the blade. One of them was obviously Tatsumi, who was slowly starting to collapse backwards onto the cold, concrete floor before him. Speaking of the ninja himself, a final gasp of air started leaving the tiger's mouth, and one last thought ran through his dying mind.

"The weakness of the heart… our most formidable enemy..."

And with that last thought leaving Tatsumi's mind, the leader of the Neo-Yaminobu clan collapses dead onto the cold floor, blood leaving his body and staining the floor underneath his body. Even as he died, the fox's eyes remain wide and fixed upon his second, unintentional victim, who was collapsing backwards towards his left. His mouth opens agape and slowly turns towards the female he had unintentionally slain, not paying attention to nor caring about the fact the tip of the dagger managed to slash the left side of his cheek perpendicular to the current scar he had.

And right after the woman had collapsed onto the ground, Matt's eyes gazed directly at the mortal wound on the right side of her body. In that instant, only one word… one name left the now distressed assassin's mouth.

"TOMOE!"