A/N: Here's another installment to Zootopia X. However, before reading the chapter, I want to point out I had to go back into the following Chapters to make the appropriate changes:
17: Had to fix the relationship between Karen and the Wilde family, along with some slight reformatting.
25: Cleaned this chapter up a bit since I noticed some missing text.
With that out of the way. I hope you enjoy the next chapter ^^
Prelude to an Inevitable War
The Kawasabus Airfield, located near the busiest part of town, was currently packed with numerous people on the morning of December the Twenty seventh. Many of them either going on vacation, to relocate to a new place for numerous reasons, or to leave the growing chaos that lurks the town. The jet engines roar loudly in preparation to the upcoming flights. Mammals of all kinds, from the smallest prey to the biggest predator (and vice versa), didn't hesitate boarding onto the planes. All they wanted to do was get the hell out of there before shit hits the fan.
Before a possible war between the Neo-Shogunates and the Neo-Imperialists broke out within the entire Kawasabus region in Ohio.
But for one particular tanuki, however, he needed to get the hell out of there before the Neo-Imperialists discover his location and kill him on sight. Iizuka, the examiner of executions for the Ishin-Mirkwood clan, was currently walking along the back alleys to get to the main airfield. His attire consisted of a midnight teal montsuki shirt tucked into a pair of khaki hakama pants, and the leg openings of his pants were tucked into his black open toe boots respectively. Underneath the montsuki shirt, a gray thermal shirt could be seen, most likely to add extra warmth on him even if his winter coat had come through. On his left, a katana and wakizashi were strapped onto his hakama belt securely and allowing him to move about without the risk of his weapons sliding through the belt. A pair of black samurai tekkou bracers were worn on his forearms, covering the back of his brown gloved hand-paws. The last thing the tanuki had on him was a small, dark khaki colored duffel bag on him containing his essentials for his flight, which was strapped onto the mammal's right shoulder.
Shortly after sending Matt to Bellwether Enterprises eight days prior, the Ishin-Mirkwood traitor had fled New Otsu and contacted a friend of his to make an arrangement to leave the country by ship. Unfortunately, however, things didn't pan out well for him when the weather conditions grew too severe to his liking. But a few days after the Bellwether Enterprise incident, he was able to secure a private jet that'll take him to Shanghai, China on the twenty seventh of December.
Now the twenty seventh has come, and the tanuki was currently on his way to the hangar in which the private jet was located. He took the back alleys in order to sneak into the airfield without getting without getting seen by the authorities facilitating the place.
"Attention all passengers boarding the Shanghai flight, the plane will embark in ten minutes. Please come to the hangar immediately", the announcer spoke from the intercoms attached to the walls in the alley, which cause the tanuki to hasten the pace of his walking only slightly. He didn't want to act suspicious, but he sure as hell didn't want to miss his flight. Fortunately, from where he was now, he knew he was close to the hangar where his plane was currently located. Just another few blocks, and he'll finally reach his destination.
But it seems he wasn't the only one lurking about the alleyways in the outdoor airfield.
Unexpectedly, A Shiba Inu bearing tan and white colored fur steps into the four way path from the right passage with his back turned against the tanuki. The mysterious mammal was about four feet ten inches in height, and his tail curled towards himself. His long, raven black hair was tied back in a high pony tail, and the top of his head was covered by a takuhatsugasa hat. The articles of clothing was much identical to the clothes Iizuka wore, with a few distinguishing factors. The obvious one was the black haori jacket he wore over his torso, with the bottom hem of the jacket barely passing his knees. His hakama pants matched the color of his jacket and the color of his open toe boots, much to the point it literally blended in with the garment quite thoroughly. The Shiba's hand-paws were covered by black leather gloves, which were worn underneath the brown samurai tekkou bracers he wore over them and his forearms.
Like Iizuka, the mammal was equipped with a katana and wakizashi respectively, which the blade lengths of both weapons were longer than the tanuki's own. The blade length of the Shiba's katana was about twenty eight inches in length, with the hilt of the weapon being about eleven inches in length. The blade length of his wakizashi was about eighteen inches and the hilt of the same weapon was about eight inches in length.
But as the Shiba grabs sheath of his katana with his left hand-paw, the tanuki began to smirk slightly at his actions. It was then he immediately knew what the other mammal intended to do, and one thing was certainly clear of what Iizuka had to do.
"One more piece of business, I guess", Iizuka began with a slight chuckle, pulling the duffel bag off of his shoulder and placing the bag onto the snow covered ground next to him. His left hand-paw clutches the sheath of his katana and places the corresponding thumb on the guard of his sword, pushing it upward only slightly as he clutches the hilt of his sword. Just like Iizuka, the Shiba clutches the hilt of his katana and tilted the sheathed sword to the right only slightly. "Alrighty then… I'll send another one to his grave. For old time's sake", as the tanuki said those words, he pulled the katana out of its sheath and tightens his hold on the blade, the smirk remaining on his muzzle and preparing to attack. "Hurry, I have a plane to board!" he exclaimed at the Shiba as if he were ordering him to draw his blade, but the other mammal didn't bother to unsheathe his blade.
But completely oblivious to the tanuki, a sinister, toothy grin began forming on his face, and the Shiba waited patiently for the Ishin-Mirkwood traitor to attack. It would seem even the Shiba himself had plans of his own…
Roughly several blocks away from Iizuka and the Shiba's location, Stu and Judy Hopps were currently wandering about the airfield hoping to find Thrandeer Katzuma, under the behest of Jenny Bunni. When their search began barely over a week ago, they had trouble finding the precise location where the Ishin-Mirkwood clan leader would be spotted. One thing they knew about Thrandeer by far was the fact he literally was a very, very elusive mammal, as Jenny had warned. But even if that were the case, neither Judy nor Stu gave up on their search, no matter how hard it got.
During their eight day long search, they even took the time to gather most of their belongings and order a U-Haul trailer large enough to take their belongings in a single, one way trip. Even as they were searching for the Neo-Imperialist clan leader along with gathering their belongings, they noticed the growing tensions between their neighbors and many of the other towns folk as well. They saw how many of their neighbors and townsfolk in Kawasabus had sharpened their blades, stopping by weapons shops to purchase guns, ammunition, and sharp melee weapons of sort. In one particular instance two days prior, both rabbits had seen one of their neighbors brewing explosives within their own home. After witnessing all of this, they immediately realized two things.
One, shit was about to hit the fan at any given moment between the Neo-Shogunate forces and the Neo-Imperialist extremists. And unless they pack the remainder of their belongings and get out of Kawasabus before sundown, they may possibly end up in the middle of the forthcoming bloody chaos.
Two, if the Hopps knew about what was really going on in Kawasabus, they would've never come to the region in the first place. Their lives were much more important than trying to increase business relations between Bunnyburrow and other regions.
Because the weather wasn't not in their favor, both Stu and Judy had to dress accordingly in order to accommodate their needs in the cold conditions outside. Judy's torso was covered by a thin, slim fitting black hoodie that was worn over a similar fitting, dark lavender colored thermal shirt. A pair of tight fitting, sanded blue jeans were worn over her legs and accentuated the curvature of her hips. Lastly, a pair of black ankle binds were worn on her ankles, which not only were the leg openings of her pants tucked into them, but they gave an appearance much similar to open toe combat boots. A pair of lavender gloves were worn over her hand-paws, and a pair of black samurai tekkou bracers were worn over her forearms and the back of her hand-paws.
The articles of clothing Stu wore was similar in terms of the purpose they served: to keep himself warm. His torso was covered by a thick, brown jacket with a gray sweater being worn underneath the coat. A pair of black corduroy pants covered his legs through their entirety, and the thick material that made them kept his legs from freezing in the bitter cold that took over the region. He wore nothing to cover his feet-paws like his daughter did, but he did wear a pair of black cloth gloves thick enough to keep his fingers warm, but thin enough to keep them mobile if needed.
But even with the two dressed as warmly as they possibly could, it didn't stop Judy from shivering her arms from the wind's cold current blowing through the two rabbits.
"Brr… Jesus! Can it get any colder than it already is?!" Judy sarcastically exclaimed with clattering teeth, hand-paws shivering up and down the upper portion of her arms in an attempt to keep herself warm.
"I told ya you should've worn a thicker jacket than what you're wearing now, Jude", Stu chuckled even as he said those words, but they ceased the instant he saw the death glare she was giving him. "Alright, alright, I'm just messing with ya!"
"Well, har har, Dad!" Judy rolled her eyes with her sarcastic response, tilting her head left and right when she said 'har har'. "But seriously, we gotta keep searching the airfield for this Thrandeer guy. It's the only place we haven't looked yet".
"I know, Jude", Stu replied, with a frustrated sigh leaving his mouth shortly after his initial response. "But every time we get information on his whereabouts, we either just miss him or the information we get's a bunch of bogus", the buck added right before he places his hand-paws inside of his jacket pockets. "I'm telling ya, sweetheart, I'm starting to think this whole search isn't worth-" he was about to finish, but an agonizing masculine cry of pain immediately after the simultaneous 'WHOOSH' and 'SPLURT' sounds interrupted the buck's train of thought. Their ears perked when the sounds were heard from several blocks away. The sound may have been faint or inaudible to some, but a rabbits hearing can pick up the faintest sound as clear as day.
"Someone's in trouble! It could be Thrandeer Katzuma! C'mon!" as soon as those words left Judy's mouth, the doe immediately starts sprinting towards the direction where the agonizing cries were heard.
"Judy, wait!" Stu was about to protest, but by the time he said something, the doe was already nearly a block away from where he was currently standing. "Dammit, Jude, you're gonna worry this ol' buck to death one day", he swore under his breath right before darting towards the direction where her daughter was running at.
Hell, he could barely keep up with the doe because of all the training she did in order to become a cop in the future. Then again, all the training she was currently doing in track certainly proved beneficial for her in terms of both speed and endurance. But by the time he caught up with the doe, he leaned his upper body forward and panted heavily from the amount of running he did for several blocks, failing to see the horrified expression on her face.
"Heh, I'm telling ya, Jude, you're gonna worry this ol' buck to death if you keep running off like-" Stu began, but even as he said those panted words, he looks up to his daughter and finally noticed the horrified expression on her face. "Um, Jude, Jude the Dude? Something the matter?" he asked, finally standing straight up and inching slightly closer towards her. "Judy, you look like you've seen a ghost just now. "Seriously, Judy. What's got you so shaken-" the buck was about to ask while he was turning towards the direction she was looking at. And that was when his mouth went agape and his eyes opened as wide as dinner plates the instant his eyes rested upon what his daughter had been looking at.
The dead corpse of a tanuki, who's torso had been cleanly severed starting from his stomach and cutting right through his left shoulder. Just barely over a foot away from the bunny, a katana with a twenty six inch blade length lay idle in the snowy ground, with the corpse's right hand-paw barely grasping the hilt of the sword. But the disturbing thing about the scene was the fact not only was it a fresh kill, but this was where the source of the noise had come from. And that meant one thing.
The killer had just got away before either one of them had arrived on the scene.
"Good god…" Stu began softly, shaking his head slowly even as his eyes remained fixed upon the body, completely oblivious on the identity of who he really was. "Who or what in the world could've done this?!" by now, his body was shaken at the sight of the corpse, and the buck already took a few steps back from the sight.
Judy, on the other hand, although horrified by the sight, started walking towards the bloody scene of the crime. Even if the fear of the killer possibly lurking about the place, or perhaps walking blindly into a trap, she continued to progress to the body to at least inspect it closely. After all, if she's gonna be a cop in the future, she might as well get a bit of experience now what she has the chance.
But by the time she knelt right in front of the recently murdered victim, Stu immediately caught on with what she was doing and immediately ran towards her direction.
"Judy, are you nuts?!" Stu exclaimed with shock, kneeling next to his daughter all while she was searching the body for anything that could help identify the body. "What are you doing?! The killer could still be around here!" he exclaimed, although by the time he did, the doe had managed to pull out a black leather wallet from the right side of the corpse's body, which was located in an inner pocket inside the man's montsuki shirt. She opens the wallet and pulls a driver's license from the front left slot.
"Iizuka Bartholomee …" Judy said softly to herself, her eyes gazing at the photo of the deceased tanuki on the death. But before she could investigate anything further, she felt a hand-paw grasp a firm hold of her right shoulder, catching her attention almost immediately. "Dad… I think this might have something to do with Thrandeer", she claimed, standing onto her feet-paws even as the bunny kept her eyes fixed upon her father.
"Why do you think that, Judy?" Stu asked, curious on her claim even if he was unsettled to the fact they were standing near the deceased body of the Ishin-Mirkwood traitor.
"I'm honestly not sure…" Judy turned her head away from her father as she responded to his question. "Its just a weird feeling I have. Either he killed Iizuka himself or he sent someone to kill him. But what I don't get is why…?" the doe added, her thoughts coursing towards the reason why the killing even happened, let alone why Thrandeer had sent someone out to murder the tanuki. She began stroking her chin with her right thumb like a detective in the midst of solving the case.
But completely oblivious to the two rabbits, someone happened to be right around the corner and was on his way out of the airfield via the entrance he entered through. The same entrance Stu and Judy Hopps had came through.
"Judy, hon…" Stu began anxiously and eager to get the hell out of there, lest the authorities arrive and believe they were the ones responsible for the mammal's death. "Look, you did your detective work and whatnot, but c'mon! We gotta high tail on outta here before the authorities arrive and think we're the ones who did it".
"We can't!" Judy exclaimed with a glare aimed directly at her father. Her voice was apparently loud enough for the mammal walking nearby to stop on his tracks, which was right at the entrance to the alley leading directly to the scene of the crime, directly towards the two rabbits. "We can't just leave the crime scene just yet! Not until we find out what exactly happened here!"
"Jude! Listen to me! We can't-"
"I'm not leaving here until we find Thrandeer Katzuma!" Judy argued, her hand-paws constantly clenching and unclenching into fists. "I already know for a fact he had something to do with this, whether it was directly or not! Not only that, but we have to find the guy and tell him about what happened to Tomoe!"
"And what do you know of Tomoe, young rabbit", a voice from Judy's right and Stu's left immediately caused the two bunnies to turn directly towards the mammal who spoke.
Alas, their gaze up directly at the white-tailed deer standing before him. The deer himself bore mostly light brown fur with bits of black and white mixed in to create an interesting contrast. Long, silky straight blond hair flowed freely on his head and helped his dark tan antlers stand out. His hand-paws were in his jacket's pockets even as his light blue eyes looked directly at the two rabbits.
His attire was much like theirs in terms of the purpose they served. A thick, black hoodie was worn over his athletic built shoulders, with a gray colored, slim fitting thermal shirt being worn under his shirt. Because of the shirt's fit, it was enough to accentuate the athletic musculature of his body. A pair of dark sanded blue jeans were worn on his legs and fit tightly around his thighs, yet loosened to a bootcut under the knees. A pair of black open toe boots were worn on his feet-paws comfortably. Much like the dead tanuki, a pair of swords, a long katana and short wakizashi, were worn on the left side of his body, which were in proportion to his size.
The deer's presence, however, was rather peculiar. Yet they couldn't help but be curious on why he was here. Let alone who the hell this guy was?
"Um… pardon me, Mr. but…" Judy began and cocked a curious brow at the deer buck, even leaning back from the figure a little. "Who are you?" she asked, her tone filled with an abundant mixture of curiosity and suspicion.
"I am the one you are searching for, young rabbit", the deer began, his light blue eyes gazing at both of the rabbits standing before him, standing before the scene of the crime committed by the assassin only minutes ago. "My name's-"
"Thrandeer Katzuma", Stu interrupted. "Blonde hair and light blue eyes. Yeah, I had a feeling that's who you were after I saw those traits", the buck claimed before lowering his head to the right slightly, his eyes training down in the same direction as well. "Jenny told me I'd recognize you the moment I saw you. I guess she was right", that comment in particular caught the deer's attention, his eyes gazing directly at the male bunny shortly after Stu finished.
"How do you know Jenny?" Thrandeer asked, pulling his hand-paws out of his coat's pocket and placing them on his sides.
"We've… known Tomoe since we moved to Kawasabus back in summer", Judy explained before her father could explain the entire situation. Thrandeer nodded at the doe with understanding shortly after she answered his question.
But the longer he kept his eyes on her, a feeling began growing inside of him for some unknown reason. There was something about this bunny that was familiar… yet he couldn't place his finger on it. He didn't know why. But now was not the time to linger on such thoughts, as he had to focus on the subject currently at hand.
"I see…" Thrandeer began his eyes narrowing and brows furrowing only slightly. "And what do you know of Tomoe", the deer buck asked, his light blue eyes remaining fixed upon Judy even as she turned her head slightly away from him.
"Well you see… we barely know much about her", Judy began, soon tilting her head upwards and letting her amethyst eyes meet Thrandeer's light blue. "But… about eight days ago, something happened to Tomoe while Dad and I were on our way back to Kawasabus", and right after the bunny explained, Thrandeer's eyes widen and his brows arch upward with surprise. Something happening to Tomoe? And Jenny asked us to find you", she explained, and while her voice was calm, her expression definitely depicted desperation. It was in that moment, the deer knelt in front of the rabbit and kept all eyes on her.
"Young rabbit… tell me everything".
Tomoe's former Residence, New Otsu, several hours later
The sun had already begun setting in the entire Kawasabus region, including New Otsu. By then, many of the locals within the area had already returned to their homes, or like the refugees in the region's capitol, were fleeing the Kawasabus region as fast as they could. Every single one of them knew war was inevitable between the Neo-Shogunate regime, and the Neo-Imperialist extremists. They didn't know when or where it would start… but all of them knew they were running on borrowed time.
Matt and Jenny had also spent all day packing their belongings and placing them in either the trunk or the back seats of Matt's car. Even some of Tomoe's treasured belongings were packed alongside theirs, something to at least remember the vixen they had recently lost. Shortly after they finished packing, the fox went to a nearby gas station and not only put gas in his car, but also bought two of the largest gas canisters he could carry and filled them with gasoline.
With everything having been arranged as best as they could be, Matt and Jenny lay on the futon they so shared for the past couple months, holding each other in a tender embrace. Jenny's head rested on Matt's built chest even if the fox's head was resting on one of the pillows Tomoe had lent them when they first arrived. Even if they were holding one another in a comforting embrace, their expressions were somber.
Matt's upper body was covered in a black hoodie with a similarly colored, tight fitting long john shirt being worn underneath his jacket. A pair of dark green, well fitted cargo pants covered his legs, with the leg openings being tucked into his black open toe combat boots. His hand-paws were covered by a pair of black cloth gloves, and a pair of black samurai tekkou bracers covered his forearms and the back of his hand-paws, the sleeves of his long john shirt and hoodie covering them for the most part. Lastly, his long, brown hair was tied back in a high ponytail, and like much of his clothing, the ponytail itself was black to complete the coloration of much of his attire.
Jenny's clothing was much similar as well, albeit with a few distinctions. For instance, while her hoodie was black like Matt's, a fox head shaped patch was attached on the left side of her chest. Underneath the tight fitting hoodie, a gray colored long john shirt covered her torso to help provide upper body heat. A pair of sanded blue, distressed jeans were worn over her legs, with a pair of black tight fitting long john bottoms being worn under her jeans for extra body warmth. Her feet-paws were covered by a pair of black and white Chuck Taylor shoes, just like how her hand-paws were completely covered by a pair of black gloves. Lastly, a pair of brown samurai tekkou bracers covered her forearms and the back of her hand-paws, yet were mostly covered by the sleeves of both her gray long john shirt and her black hoodie.
Although they were dressed and ready to go at any given time, their weapons were placed on the coffee table along with their phones. Jenny's dagger, which had ironically given Matt the second half of his cross shaped scar on his left cheek, lay vertically on the right side of the table next to her phone. Matt's katana an wakizashi lay horizontally near the back of the table, yet his phone was positioned similarly on the left side of the hilt of Matt's katana.
Jenny gently nuzzled into Matt's chest in an attempt to comfort her fox, which, although wasn't entirely sure if whether or not it work, she did look up and notice a soft, hardly noticeable half-smile on his muzzle. But it stayed only for a second before the couple heard a few loud knocks on the door. That immediately caused their ears to perk upward and the two to sit up straight on the futon, their eyes now fixed upon the direction of the front door.
"Who would be knocking on our door at this time?" Matt asked curiously, turning his body enough to where he places his feet-paws onto the floor. He was about to get up, but a bunny sized hand-paw grabbing his shoulder gently stopped him on his tracks.
"I'll take care of it", Jenny reassured, standing up onto her feet-paws and walking towards the front door, allowing Matt to sit back onto the futon and fixing his eyes on the last photo taken of his late aunt, Tomoe. She turns the locks to the left and grabs a hold of the doorknob, twisting it counterclockwise and pulling the door open. She expected the mammal waiting outside to be either one of their neighbors, a refugee urging them to leave, or maybe some random businessmammal attempting to make a quick buck.
She did not expect Thrandeer Katzuma, the leader of the Neo-Imperialist Ishin-Mirkwood clan to be standing here before their front door. That immediately caused her eyes to widen with unexpected surprise.
"It's been a while since we last spoke to one another", Thrandeer began softly, his hand-paws placed inside of the pockets of his hoodie. "Is Matt home at the moment?" he asked, with the bunny nodding towards him and pulling the door open for the deer buck.
"Yeah, he is", Jenny answered and points towards the direction of the living room. Thrandeer nodded at her with a thankful gesture before entering the house, having to duck under the doorway as he entered because of his tall stature. He enters the living by turning to the left and walking along the hall, only to lay his light brown eyes on the somber fox.
"Matt… I was informed by the Hopps as to what happened up here", Thrandeer began, his voice soft and filled with sympathy towards the fox. He lowered his head and closes his eyes half-liddedly. "I'm sorry…"
"Thrandeer…?" Matt asked, his voice soft and filled with unexpected surprise. Although his ears perked upward, his gaze never left the photo on the coffee table. Thrandeer enters the living room and took a seat on the couch opposite of the wall where the window was, which happened to be adjacent to the wall the futon Matt occupied was.
"I've found the spy…" Thrandeer began with his eyes fixed upon the depressed fox sitting on the futon. "And I've recruited a new assassin", the deer buck added, closing his eyes shortly after mentioning him recruiting a new assassin to the fox. Alas, he recalled a recent memory that took place earlier that morning, the moment where the traitor met his end.
The Kawasabus Airfield, earlier this morning
Tension filled the cold air in the nearly secluded alleys of the Kawasabus Airfield, where two lone modern samurai stand within mere yards from one another. The shiba inu had his right hand-paw gripping the hilt of his katana tightly, and the other one, a tanuki, held his drawn blade with both hand-paws. Both of them had devious grins on their face, with the tanuki being completely unaware of the other's own. One factor will decide who wins the fight, and only one will come out of this alive.
Either Iizuka, the Ishin-Mirkwood traitor, or the mysterious assassin sent to kill him.
All of the sudden, a loud battle cry escaped the tanuki's mouth, his eyes wide open and his mouth completely agape with his sharp canines flashing. He pulls his blade back and sprinted towards the Shiba inu with great speed. Iizuka raises his blade once he drew close to the mysterious assassin, ready for the kill that'll end his life.
But it seems fate had other plans for the Ishin-Mirkwood traitor.
Right as the tanuki drew close to the assassin, the Shiba suddenly twists his body to his right and unsheathed the blade, piercing his sword right through his stomach and swiftly pulling it upward through his left shoulder. An agonizing cry of pain left the tanuki's mouth even as he fell onto the snowy ground before him. Completely unaware to the traitor, Thrandeer had been watching from the alleyway on Iizuka's left. Even as his eyes gazed upon the dying tanuki, Iizuka had barely managed to pull out what appeared to be a stack of paper wrapped, golden coin currency with his left hand-paw.
"H…eh… find someone… to clean this up…" Iizuka hoarsely said, his voice barely audible and his thumb pressing forward the paper packaged coin currency enough to pop them out of the package. "It looks like… my luck's ran out…" and with those final words leaving his mouth in a raspy voice, he have out one last dying breath and alas, Iizuka was no more.
Even as the tanuki had died, the assassin who butchered Iizuka sheaths his sword shortly after cleaning his blade, Thrandeer stood in the alley parallel to the one the examiner of executions had been murdered in. His eyes were stern, and gazing coldly at the tanuki's corpse, right before he had started walking away from the scene. It didn't take long for the assassin to swiftly flee the scene, his speed matching that, or perhaps surpassing the Battousai's own god-like speed. It was as if the new assassin were never there…
Tomoe's residence, Present
"He's a dangerous mammal… but his skills are on par with yours", Thrandeer explained, his eyes locked on the fox even if Matt didn't reciprocate the look. Jenny, who had opened the door when the deer buck had arrived, was now sitting next to her fox gazing directly at the clan leader himself. "He will handle assassinations from now on. However, our army still needs your skills. The Neo-Bakufu has strengthened, and the Neo-Shinsengumi are as ruthless as ever. If we do not resist now, we will all be annihilated. These are desperate times", the deer buck urged the fox and was about to continue, but seeing the fox lower his head slightly stopped his train of thought.
"I see…" Matt replied despondently, his eyes not leaving the photo. In that moment, the deer buck knew what he had to do if he were to get through to him in his current state.
Thrandeer himself stood up onto his feet-paws and walked towards the opposite side of the coffee table where the futon was. He knelt in front of it and gazed directly at the grief-driven fox, his icy blue eyes gazing at the vulpine with a worried expression.
"Matt…" Thrandeer began, yet even if Matt's ears perked at the mentioning of his name, he didn't make any further movements. "When you returned to New Otsu from Zootopia a month ago, I had asked Tomoe to be your sheath alongside Jenny. To keep you from becoming an unrepentant killer", when he said this, not only did Matt slightly tilt his head upward to gaze at Thrandeer, but Jenny's ears had perked upon hearing this with surprise. Since when the hell did Thrandeer ask Tomoe to serve as a sheath alongside her, Jenny wondered. More importantly, why the hell was she not informed of this?
A moment of silence soon filled the air, and Matt's lowers his head and refocuses his gaze back at the photo he was staring at earlier, his ears pressing against his skull as he began.
"If my good intentions led to this tragedy. I apologize", Thrandeer's eyes gaze away from the fox a moment after he had given his apology to Matt, almost as if he were contemplating on telling him anything else. But even with the half-lidded, sympathetic eyes he bore on his face, Jenny knew better than to assume the deer buck came here to give him his sympathies. And as soon as he fully reopened his eyes and fixed them towards the fox, Jenny's suspicions towards him had been confirmed. "Matt, you must protect the Neo-Imperialists from the Neo-Bakufu forces as a guerrilla swordsman. I understand what you're going right now through isn't easy, and I know its cruel of me to ask you in your current state. But there's nobody else I can ask this of", after the deer buck said this, despite keeping his eyes on the photo, Matt's ears perk upward and was prepared for whatever he had to say next. "Will you once again make your heart bloodthirsty, and wield the sword that soars the heavens?"
That last question immediately caused Jenny's ears to perk up at this, her eyes widening and her mouth slightly agape. Her hand-paws clench slightly and her but not a sound was uttered from her mouth. She was too shocked to believe what she had just heard. Thrandeer asking Matt to make his heart bloodthirsty in order to protect the Neo-Imperialists? It was completely absurd!
Yeah, she understood why Matt was needed for this upcoming war, and yes, she knew for a fact war within the Kawasabus region was Inevitable. But in the state her fox was in right now, she knew without a doubt he'd wouldn't be fighting at his full potential. But that wasn't necessarily what concerned her the most. What really got her concerned was the fact he'd be fighting as an unrepentant killer, the very thing she tried her very damn best to keep him from becoming. If that was what would become of her fox if he made his heart bloodthirsty again, she wouldn't allow it.
Not on her watch!
Her fists clench harder right as the bunny lowers her head, her brows furrowing immediately before seething her teeth in anger. She was infuriated on what Thrandeer was trying to do right now. Even if she understood his reasons, she still found it unacceptable he'd ask her fox for such a favor! Throughout her indirect connection with the Neo-Imperialist Ishin-Mirkwood clan, she often stood on the sidelines and watched the scenes unfold.
Now it was her time to take a stand on the matter at hand! And with a growl leaving her mouth, she leans her head upward and glares directly at the deer buck himself. If looks could kill, Thrandeer would be scorched from the earth!
"I can't believe you'd ask such a thing, Thrandeer!" Jenny suddenly exclaimed, immediately catching the deer buck's attention and causing him to turn and face her. Matt, however, never turned towards her, but his ears perked slightly at her direction intently. "After asking me and Tomoe to act as Matt's sheath to keep him from turning into an unrepentant killer, you're asking him to make his heart bloodthirsty just to protect a bunch of Neo-Imperialists?!" the bunny exclaimed with a louder tone of voice, her fists clenching harder to the point the veins on the back of her hand-paws were slightly noticeable to the naked eye.
"Jenny, you knew this was bound to happen sooner or later. It was only a matter of time-"
"When war would inevitably break out across the entire Kawasabus Region. Believe me, I already know that better than you realize", Jenny interrupted the deer buck since she practically knew what he already planned on saying. But that doesn't mean she didn't have a say in the matter, and believe me, this bunny had quite a bit to say before a decision could be finalized. "Look, I get the fact why you would need Matt's skills. But didn't you ever think about giving him the time he needs to recover?! Didn't you ever think he's already had enough as it is?!" the bunny exclaimed, her voice becoming louder even as the rabbit continued to speak her mind.
Thrandeer couldn't help but gaze at the rabbit with a surprised look on his face since he literally didn't expect Jenny to start going off on him like that. Yeah, he understood her reasons why, and yes, he understood why Matt would need more time to recuperate from this tragedy. However, there were more important things at hand, and he knew if he didn't get his point across right now, he knew without a doubt the entire region, no, the entire country would fall into peril. His eyes furrowed and his glare became serious almost immediately.
"I'm well aware he needs more tome to recuperate from the tragedy. But you have to understand there isn't much time left!" Thrandeer exclaimed, albeit as calmly as possible to at least keep on some sort of civil level within the household. "If Matt doesn't recuperate now, then the entire struggle would've been for-"
"Naught? Yeah, I'm well aware of that, Thrandeer!" Jenny interrupted with a fierce tone in her voice, her buck teeth bared directly at the deer buck himself. "Seriously! If you think you can come barging over here and barking out orders to Matt like he were a common dog, you're sadly mistaken!" even as she said those words, she threw her arms towards the deer buck and places them onto her hips. "Have you even considered the fact Matt's already had enough?! Have you even considered it might be time for someone else to take his place and let Matt live his life in peace?!"
"Jenny! That's enough!" Thrandeer exclaimed rather loudly, his patience already starting to run thin with the bunny. "I've said this before and I will say it again! We need Matt more than ever, and if we do not resist now, we will all be-"
"God dammit, this isn't about Matt anymore! He has a family he needs to think about now!" the words that left Jenny's mouth, even as she threw her arms towards the deer for the second time, that immediately silenced the clan leader and caused him to gaze at the bunny with a bewildered expression on his face.
"What do you mean?" Thrandeer asked, now completely confused on what she meant by her words. But before he could linger on the thought anymore, his icy blue eyes gaze directly at the slightly noticeable bump around the lower portion of her belly. Was she putting on weight all of the sudden? Why did she-
Then it clicked in an instant, and his eyes widen at this revelation! The bunny was in fact pregnant, pregnant with Matt's kits. How did he not notice this right from the beginning? No, how in the hell did Matt manage to impregnate the bunny despite him being a fox? The last question in particular constantly rang inside of the deer buck's mind, even if he was gazing at the pregnant bunny in front of him.
"How long?" Thrandeer asked, his tone genuinely curious and his eyes gazing at the rabbit in a similar manner.
"I found out I was at least eight days pregnant, well… because of this", Jenny answered while gesturing towards her barely noticeable baby bump. But shortly after pointing it out, her eyes gazing at the deer buck in a tone filled with seriousness… and pleading? "But seriously, Thrandeer. Give Matt a little more time to recover from this tragedy… please, I beg you", she pleaded, her hand-paws grasping one another and gesturing them pleadingly.
While the conversation had been going on between the two, Matt's mind had currently been in another state contemplating on what to do. It was an inner struggle on whether he should take a little more time to recover from the tragedy, or immediately return to Kawasabus and partake in the upcoming war as a manslayer in the open. On one end, he felt like he needed a bit more time to recover from the tragedy before he joined the war as a guerrilla swordsmammal. On the other hand, however, he knew this was coming, and knew he had to join the fight as soon as Thrandeer had arrived to give his condolences and to inform him of the news. And in that moment, he knew living a peaceful like had come to an end… at least until the war was over.
But his eyes remained fixed on the last photo Matt and Jenny had taken with Tomoe on the front deck of the yacht, more specifically towards his deceased aunt. He remembered the times he and Jenny had spent with the vixen before her accidental murder, from fishing at the lake to acquire fish for their business, to helping her at the floral business she ran when needed, even just hanging with each other in the comforts of their home. He recalled all the memories he had of her, from the best of times to the worst of moments.
When the reminiscing of memories came to an end, his eyes narrowed slightly and his brows furrow in a serious manner. It was in that moment, he had come to a decision.
"Thrandeer…" Matt began softly, but loud enough to capture the attention of both his bunny and the Ishin-Mirkwood clan leader simultaneously.
"Hm?" Thrandeer hummed softly with curiosity, noticing the serious expression he now bore on his face.
"Matt…?" Jenny asked, both curious and slightly confused on why her fox bore the serious look on him. Matt stood up onto his feet-paw and turns his head towards the deer buck.
"I will lend you my skills. My father, John Victor Wilde, was murdered by John Bellwether during the first Night Howler Experiment. My brother, Nick, was almost killed by the Neo-Yaminobu ninjas during my time in Zootopia. Then Tomoe was destroyed by the Neo-Shogunate when they used her emotions to control her… even if she were acting as a double agent", as soon as Matt mentioned Tomoe being a double agent, that sent waves on confusion into Thrandeer himself. He was about to ask how he knew, but the fox cut him off before he could ask. "Jenny told me about it this morning. But I will say this: They fucked with my family for the last time, and I'm gonna make sure they pay for what they've done!"
"I see…" Thrandeer nodded with understanding along with his verbal response.
"Besides, If I abandon the sword now, then all the lives I've taken will be for nothing", Matt claimed. "Jenny and Tomoe taught me the many small happinesses many mammals live for. So until the Neo-Shogunate falls and the happinesses of all mammals can light up the new age, I will continue to wield the sword that soars the heavens".
"I understand", Thrandeer replied, again nodding with understanding after Matt finished speaking. "Thank you" the deer buck added softly, his eyes fixed at the fox right as Jenny took a step towards her fox.
"Matt…" Jenny said softly, her sapphire eyes gazing towards Matt's jade green pair even as she reached for her fox. However, she stopped when the fox turned to her and gave a content nod, to non-verbally let her know this was his decision to make. He faintly, briefly smiled towards his bunny reassuringly before it was lost, losing it when turning back to face the deer buck. Jenny lowers her arm and continues to gaze towards her fox, looking deep into his eyes in an attempt to read his emotions.
When she did, she saw the fiery determination behind them along with the sense of justice. Seeing this somehow reassured the bunny, and a small, but genuine smile formed on her face. She knew without a doubt he was alright.
"But let me make something clear, Thrandeer", Matt explained, his hand-paws clenching into fists even as he continued to speak. "Once the battles have been fought and won".
"You'll withdraw your sword?" Thrandeer asked, and shortly after he did, the fox lowers his head enough to allow his medium-long bangs (and then some) to cover his eyes.
"To be honest with you, I'm not certain…" Matt began, uncertain if whether or not he'll actually throw away his sword once the Neo-Shogunate met its end. But there was one thing he was certain of. "But once the Neo-Shogunate is destroyed, I'll never kill again! Never again…" as soon as he said those words, Thrandeer and Jenny's eyes widen with surprise, yet the reasons behind them were different.
Jenny's reason behind this was the fact she knew his words were completely genuine, making a vow never to kill again once the regime collapses. And that honestly brought a noticeable, reassuring smile on her face upon this revelation.
Thrandeer, on the other hand, was surprised not only from the truth behind his words, but in which his tone had taken when he said them. He knew Matt was pained from the fact he had taken hundreds of lives. The level of it, on the other hand, was an entirely different story, and in that moment, he knew one thing for certain…
"Its just as Shinsaku feared…" Thrandeer thought inside of his mind, recalling six words Takasugi had told him shortly before the becoming of the Battousai himself.
"You're gonna ruin that kit's life…" those were the six words Takasugi Shinsaku had warned him all those years ago… and it seemed he had been right all along.
"Except for one vacancy…" that immediately put both Thrandeer and Jenny in a state of surprise, yet Matt's words surprised Jenny more than the clan leader. One vacancy? What did he mean by that?
"One vacancy…?" Thrandeer asked curiously, despite the surprised expression he bore. Jenny's heart was pounding slightly harder in her chest, yet it was more than enough to make her nervousness apparent.
"Dawn Bellwether…" Matt answered, tilting his head upward and gazing directly at the deer buck. "She intended to use the Night Howlers not only to obtain a higher status in the Neo-Shogunate, but for personal again as well. I can't say I'm certain about this, but if my assumptions are correct, she's planning on using the Night Howlers against predators in an attempt to obtain power far worse than the Neo-Shogunate. Its most likely either she or an accomplice of hers was responsible for the attack at the New Otsu hideout", he claimed before closing his eyes. "Even John Bellwether intended to stop his sister and attempted to carry out his plan", the fox continued, reopening his eyes and looking back at the clan leader sitting on the couch. "However…"
"It was on the same night you killed him, am I right?" Thrandeer guessed, which caught both Matt and Jenny by surprise. But nevertheless, he nodded towards him before continuing.
"Yes", Matt replied, before turning his gaze away from Thrandeer and looking at the floor. "Even with that vacancy, I'm not sure if whether or not I'll be able to carry it out…"
"Because of the possibility of reverting back to an animal slayer?" Jenny took a guess in where Matt was going with this, and was confirmed when he nodded at her a couple times.
"Yes…" Matt responded shortly before lowering his head to the point his bangs covered his eyes, the fox standing idle for what seemed to be the longest minute of his life. But when a pair of bunny sized hand-paws gently cupped Matt's right, he lifts his head up a bit and turns his gaze directly towards Jenny, who was looking at him with a concerned expression on her face.
"Matt…" Jenny began, moving closer towards her fox and removing her hand-paws from Matt's right before wrapping her arms around his muscular built torso. "Are you completely sure about this? Going back to Kawasabus to fight?" she asked, her eyes locked with his Jade green pair. Matt closed his eyes for only a moment before giving her a nod, reopening them and cupping her left cheek with his right hand-paw.
"I'm positive", Matt answered honestly, his voice soft yet confident. "Listen, Jen, I know you don't want me involved in the war yet. But Thrandeer's right, my skills are needed and I have to do whatever I can to protect the weak and innocent from the Neo-Shogunate armies. But even if I were to go to war as I am now… will you follow me?" he asked, keeping his eyes fixed upon hers and looking into her sapphire orbs. She was silent for a moment, but with a nod, she came up with her answer.
"Until the end… my love", after Jenny had answered, she tip toes up towards her fox and plants a soft, loving kiss on his lips, with Matt cupping her other cheek and reciprocating the kiss. It lasted for a brief four seconds, but when they broke the kiss, they gaze at each other's eyes and gave one another a soft, genuinely reassuring smile.
The moment didn't last much longer when their ears flickered to the sound of Thrandeer standing up from the couch and footsteps moving directly towards the door, their gazes shifting at the deer buck almost immediately. When the clan leader stepped in front of the door, he grabs the doorknob and turns towards the interspecies couple, nodding at the two before opening the door.
"I will see you both in Kawasabus tonight", and right after Thrandeer spoke those words, he passed through the door and closed it behind him, leaving the two lovers within the confines of their own home.
Parked on the street in front of the driveway was a lone, dark gray colored limo along with a chauffeur standing in front of the passenger door on the driver's side. The chauffeur himself was a slender built, black spotted jaguar standing roughly about the same height as Thrandeer himself. A white dress shirt covered his torso in a slim fit and was worn underneath a black dress coat and tie. The top of his head was covered by a black Chauffeurs cap and fit him comfortably. The feline's legs were covered in a pair of black slacks, which fit him well enough to accentuate his slender, yet athletic built legs. His eyes glistened a green color much similar to Matt's, yet bore a slight distinction enough to where they resembled emeralds compared to jades. Lastly, his nose was a pink color and, to an extent, popped out thanks to the dark colors of his fur.
As soon as the Jaguar noticed the deer buck, he pulls the handle of his limo upward and opens the passenger door, gesturing his right hand-paw towards the limo interior.
"After you, Mr. Katzuma", the jaguar bowed slightly as he greeted the deer buck with a Venezuelan accent, the Neo-Imperialist clan leader giving the predator a courteous nod shortly after and began walking into the limo.
"Thank you, Manchas", Thrandeer replied before entering the limo, the chauffeur closing the passenger door shortly after he entered.
As the jaguar walked towards the limo and entered the driver's side, Thrandeer himself was lost in his own thoughts, thoughts regarding Matt himself. Its been four years since he'd met and recruited him into the Ishin-Mirkwood training grounds in Kawasabus, three and a half years since Matt's first kill, and nearly three years since he's been given the infamous name, Battousai the Animal Slayer, amongst other similar names.
But even as the driver turned the ignition on and began driving towards the Kawasabus capitol, he started to recall Takasugi's warning on how he would end up ruining Matt's life by turning him into a hitokiri. If he honestly took the warning into account, then perhaps he wouldn't have made him into a hitokiri and instead have Matt be apart of the Neo-Kiheitai alongside Takasugi. Much pain would've also been avoided right from the start, and he wouldn't have made Matt do the one thing he would never have done…
"Matt… I made you betray your beliefs. That is unforgivable of me", Thrandeer thought within his mind, remembering everything that happened within the four years, the most prominent ones being both Takasugi's warning and the becoming of the Battousai, which inevitably ended up ruining Matt's life and taking away his innocence. "The sword of Hiten Mitsurugi should only be used to defend the new era, not destroy the old one… I was wrong, Matt…" with that last thought coursing his mind, the deer buck tilts his head up a bit and turns towards the front, his eyes gazing at the windshield and directly towards the direction where Kawasabus lies.
With Thrandeer having left the facility, both Matt and Jenny were currently holding each other in a tender, loving embrace. Matt's head rested on top of Jenny's with his eyes closed, with the bunny's head resting against her fox's chest in a similar manner. They remained in the embrace for at least five minutes, allowing them to find solace within the comforts of holding each other. However, both of them knew they couldn't linger for much longer, and night fall would soon come upon the Kawasabus region, and they needed to leave soon if they were to get to Kawasabus on time.
Matt soon reopened his eyes half-liddedly and gazed directly at the two gas canisters placed next to the staircase, staring at them for roughly ten seconds before pulling away from the embrace. His eyes gaze towards Jenny's face as she reopened her own, both sapphire and jade looking into one another before Matt cups her right cheek with his left hand-paw.
"Jen, go wait in the car for me", Matt said softly to his lover while placing his right hand-paw inside of his corresponding cargo pants pocket, grabbing his car keys from them and handing them to the bunny. "I need to take care of something", and right afterwards, the bunny looked directly at her fox as he started walking towards the gas canisters. At first, she didn't know why, but a moment later, it clicked and gave the fox an understanding nod, right before grabbing the photo from the coffee table and walking towards the front door.
"I'll go get the car started, Matt", Jenny responded right as she walked out the front door, the fox giving her a nod even as he grabbed one of the gas canisters, popping the cap off of the canister itself. He walked to the top of the stairs and into Tomoe's room, where he began splashing gas across the walls and quickly started trailing the gasoline into the second floor hallway, and into the other rooms upstairs.
While Matt was doing this, Jenny unlocked the doors to her fox's midnight black Dodge Challenger and enters the vehicle from the passenger's side. She inserts the car key into the ignition and turns it forward, getting the car started and turning the heater on shortly after starting the vehicle. And as the heater began heating the car, the bunny opened the glove box and placed the framed photo inside.
It was shortly after she placed the photo into the glove box was when became lost in her thoughts. She was lost in thoughts about everything that's happened in the past couple of months, both good and bad. From meeting Matt, the Idekaya District incident, to becoming his mate, losing Tomoe, and now having to prepare to head back to Kawasabus to partake in the ongoing chaos.
But one question constantly coursed her mind. Will they get out of this alive… or will they die in the midst of chaos?
Her train of thought was interrupted when her ears perked up and towards her left. She turns her head in the same direction and spotted Matt exiting the house, seeing him throwing the now emptied second gas canister towards the right side of the front yard. The fox also grabbed a zippo lighter from his left hoodie pocket and flicks the top open before throwing it into the open front door behind him. The flickering flame from the lighter ignited the flammable liquid that thoroughly soaked the house, and it didn't take long for the interior to set ablaze. But it was the fire that caught Jenny's attention, but the expression her fox bore.
The expression on Matt's face was almost unreadable, but his furrowed brows and stern, but neutral eyes said otherwise. No longer were Matt's jade green eyes filled with depression, but with a renewed thirst for battle. Not necessarily filled with the intention to shed blood, but with a genuine desire to protect those who are unable to protect themselves. This expression, despite being surprised by this at first glance, brought a soft, genuine smile on the rabbit's face. She knew her fox was ready to fight in the growing chaos that plagued Kawasabus.
Matt grabs the handle on the driver's side door and pulls it open, entering the vehicle and taking a seat next to his mate, the rabbit watching him pull both his katana and wakizashi recently equipped on his left side and placing them on the floorboard on the passenger's side. It was then, he looks into her sapphire eyes once again and gave an affirming nod.
"Its time to go", Matt said softly to his bunny before turning towards the front, his eyes gazing directly on the road and pressing on the gas pedal. The car accelerates from the now burning home that once belonged to Tomoe, the home he and Jenny once stayed in order to live a relatively peaceful life.
But the peaceful times have come and passed, and no longer can Matt or Jenny linger within New Otsu. No longer can they remain home and grow crops from their garden, nor use the yacht to fish in their now defunct fishing business. Not until the growing chaos in Kawasabus has been extinguished from the town and in the region as a whole.
In the growing sunset, the raging fire continued to burn the house into collapse, leaving all remaining contents within the house to burn to ash. And as the house continued to burn, the fox and rabbit drive off towards Kawasabus into the slowly descending night.
Driving off into the beginning of an inevitable war.