The warm sunrise filtered into existence like a looming commandment, one he dreaded to acknowledge. Thin yellow rays shot through the blinds-covered window and shined against his cold scales, breaking his concentration. Magenta eyelids contorted at the light beams, the force of their luminescence palpable and pressing the chameleon's head backward a bit. His surroundings returned to his attention, the meditative position he froze himself in reluctantly melted and he felt the exhaustion of his extremities for the first time. Slowly, his eyes peeled open and the somber ninja was back to his uncomfortable reality.
Espio didn't sleep last night. How could he, with the words of the mysterious letter still ringing in his mind, louder than thunder? He thought meditation would help him figure out who sent it and what it meant, but Espio's mind remained blank. He rose to his feet, muscles taut and joints creaking in protest, but with precise, yoga-like stretching, Espio felt loose and more relaxed. He shot his golden eyes over to the digital clock on his dresser and sighed lowly.
"That early, huh?" he thought in exasperation. It was 5:27 AM, an unholy hour for his two, lackadaisical compatriots. Espio was alone, but he didn't need the clock to tell him that; the absence of Vector's strong footsteps and less than stellar singing and Charmy's incessant chatting and rambunctious movement told the shinobi that right now, it was just him and the Sun that were awake.
Espio hadn't planned on staying up all night, after Vector went inside, Espio returned to his room and assumed the Full Lotus meditative position, hoping to find answers or at least peace from the exercise. And he vowed that until he found one of the two, he wouldn't stop meditating, and there he stood: Sleepless. Answerless. Peace-less.
A disappointed moan escaped past his lips as Espio turned to his door and slid it open, stealthily moving in the shadows of his small home. He allowed no sound to build during his trek, skillfully avoiding all creaky spots on the floor and stepping lighter than a feather, while still moving quickly. Within seconds, he was in the kitchen without a single noise produced. With careful, precise movements, the magenta reptile began preparing breakfast for his team, as he did every morning.
His mind wandered as he clicked the stovetop burners on. "How did the author of the letter find me? How does he know Japanese? And why did he send the letter in the first place?" A frying pan laid on top of the blue fire, a chunk of butter began to melting as Espio rotated the pan, the butter gliding across the entirety of the surface, painting it with savory goodness.
"What was the goal in sending it? How would he even know when I received it?"
Fragile off-white shells broke apart, releasing the gelatinous insides they protected drooping to the sizzling butter coated pan below. Several sunrise yellow yokes floated inside their new home, the transparent plasma that surrounded them slowly gained a white opacity as they bubbled into view.
"What's going to happen next? Will more letters be sent here? Will assassins be sent here? Can't let that happen"
Espio unwrapped a loaf of bread, eyed a few moldy slices, discarded them, and flung several pieces in a rather old toaster. It always took more than 3 tries to get the appliance to receive the bread, but with persistence, it obeyed and began to cook the wheat slices.
"Should I go look for this guy? Maybe I could ask the— no. No, that's probably what he wants. But staying put could also be what he wants. He must be watching me, that's the only way he knows where I live"
A cookie sheet lined with raw bacon strips and sausage patties slid into the oven, like a drawer in a desk and the ninja's nimble fingers twisted a nob to set the oven to a low flame. A second pan silently landed on another burner, oil covering its surface as Espio flung potatoes in the air and proceeded to dice them into shreds while they traveled from the air and into the waiting pan.
"He must have spies, good spies since I haven't been able to detect them. Could they be..? No, that's not... not possible. But then, how am I being watched and not know it, if it was by anyone other than..?"
Sharp eyes scanned the refrigerator for produce until they focused on some colorful nectarines and oranges. Quick hands snatched them and flung them skyward, after a series of lightning fast slashes, the fruits were divided and gathered into a medium sized porcelain bowl.
"If that's what I'm dealing with then, this isn't going to work out. Damn, if only I knew who was watching"
The toaster let out a chunk as toasted bread resurfaced, signaling the final portion of the entire process. It only took seconds for the swift ninjutsu expert to set the table neighboring the humble kitchen and lay out the finished dishes. The last plate to fall was Vector's, hefty and packed with golden brown crispy hash-browns, well toasted and well buttered toast, sizzling vibrant strips of bacon and pleasantly charred, thick sausage patties; and finally, a generous amount of sunny-side up eggs.
Little, sunburst orange orbs surrounded by slightly runny white. Espio stared down at the meal, the works of his hands, and sanctioned his attention to the eggs. The many, dead circles, resting atop the other contents of the croc's breakfast. For a moment, it seemed as if the black pepper flakes Espio seasoned the protein with were focused into a circle, giving the yokes an uncanny resemblance to eyes.
Many, foreign, uninvited eyes, staring unflinchingly at the paranoid ninja, who could only look back helplessly.
"This definitely isn't going to work," he said to himself, the unmistakable inkling that something very wrong was just beyond the horizon. "Meditation. Perhaps I need more time to find the answers"
Before the stoic teenager retreated back to his room, he placed several cereal boxes and a half empty carton of milk on the other end of the table, along with Charmy's favorite bowl and spoon, all colored in a seemingly haphazard fashion that could only attract the attention of a child. Espio allowed the slightest hint of a smile appear on his face, before his mind returned to the more grim reality of an unknown threat to his way of life. He needed to get to the bottom of this and he needed to do it as quickly as possible. Another trip between the shadows and past the more noisy sections of the floorboards and Espio was back in his room, his back turned from the window. He inhaled and exhaled calmly, bending down to the ground and folding his body into a full lotus. He closed his eyes and focused on the swarm of questions clouding his mind and once again attempted to wrestle down each and every one.
The aroma of a well balanced breakfast broke Charmy out of his deep slumber. The young bee stretched unseemly in his bed, a swirling mess of sheets, comforter, and stuffed animals (and secret bags of candy) all contorted to his body's movement. All at once, he finished stretching out his lax muscles, popped into the air, and let out a blissful yawn. The sunshine flowed through the open window, caressing his plump, rosy cheeks and coaxing a wide smile out of the innocent toddler.
Charmy slept well last night. How could he not, after blissfully falling asleep watching his favorite cartoon in the lap of his favorite emerald shade crocodile? Not only did he have a good time watching tv with Vector, he also had a brilliant idea on how to make Espio feel better. Charmy rushed out of his room and to their shared bathroom, quickly running through the morning routine of cleanliness, and ricocheting downstairs to the awaiting feast.
Before he could see the shabby table the Chaotix ate every meal on, he could hear voracious biting and smacking, accompanied by some barbaric grunting. "Vector's up" the young insect thought as the table finally came into view. True enough, the green behemoth was sitting at the head of the table, shoveling food down his mouth in an uncouth display of gluttony. Though the sight didn't disgust Charmy, in fact, it delighted him to see his boss happily enjoying a meal and waiting for him to join in the indulging.
Vector's eyes shot up to Charmy as the boy came into the open space of the adjoined kitchen, dining room and living room. "Mmmhp, merrnin' sqwartuh! Hawwd jew schlep?" he said with a mouth full of food, some of it slipping out of his massive jaws and splattering on the table. The small arthropod was adept in deciphering the familiar language of "stuffed face", and responded accordingly.
"Mornin', boss man! I slept good, how 'bout you?" his small hands reached out and clutched a cereal box and the jug of milk, pouring both into a bowl at the same time, never breaking eye contact with Vector who sat directly to his left.
"Auuuufff, Ahhh schleep gweaatuh"
"Ya sure ya weren't up all night worryin' bout Espio?" Charmy asked, the contents of his bowl overflowing a bit, suggesting that he should stop pouring. Vector nearly choked on his food at his response, pounding his chest with his large fist to unclog the wonderful sustenance from his throat.
"Wh— what?! I said I slept great, Charm! I wasn't— up all night— get outta here wit dat! Hahaha!" the reptile awkwardly choked out, avoiding eye contact and rubbing his neck.
So he was up all night, Charmy thought sadly, shoveling spoonfuls of sugary frosted mush into his mouth with incredible speed. The force of his splashing made the milk spray the table a bit. "Well, that's good, cuz I got a plan to make ol' ninja man feel all better again! And I need your help!"
"Whaddya talkin' bout, kid?" Vector asked, after taking a loud swig of orange juice from his cup.
"Just listen! Espio's down in the dumps cuz of that letter right? So all he needs is a distraction. And who's better at distracting people than me, the great Charmy Bee?!" he cheered, between spoonfuls of cereal.
Vector held his chin thoughtfully for a moment. "Hmm, ya got a point. Ya ARE da most distractin' kid in da world..."
"See, see, see?! I can take Espio's mind off of whoever he's thinkin' bout and he'll be the sarcastic, serious, stick in the mud we all love!" the bee exclaimed before slurping all the leftover milk in his bowl and slamming the dish back on the table.
"Aight, aight, but whaddya gonna do specifically to get Fuchsia Face to feel like his ol' self?" he asked then finished off the rest of his perfectly seasoned eggs. Charmy flew above the table suddenly and landed in a cheesy, Saturday morning, live action superhero show pose, a mouthful of nectarines filling his mouth.
"Schtelphy shhcadeew neenjaah acktackh!" he mumbled, looking triumphant.
"Stealthy Shadow Ninja Attack? Ya mean, yer gonna—" Vector trailed off as Charmy swallowed the contents of his mouth and finished his sentence.
"Show Espio how good a ninja I can be! That'll get his attention, for sure!" he announced, suddenly flinging a powdery substance at Vector's face, effectively blinding him for several seconds.
"Gah! CHARMY! What da heck are ya doin' throwin' sawdust at—" when the angry crocodile opened his eyes again, the sneak-attacking child was nowhere to be found. "Wha— where— Charmy? Da heck didja go?" he stood up and ran around the entire downstairs looking high and low for Charmy.
It wasn't until he got face down on the floor to look under the ancient couch that he felt a soft impact on his thick tail. With a surprised yelp, the strong adult scurried backward only to see Charmy holding onto his scaly tail, a wide grin plastered on his face.
"See?! I've been practicin' for a while! Espio thinks I don't try hard when he trains me, but I DO! He'll be so happy I got the drop on him, he'll forget all about that dumb ol' letter!" Charmy giggled excitedly.
"Heh, dat's a pretty good plan, half-pint" Vector smirked proudly, gaining an even bigger smile from the clever toddler. However, the crocodile's tail switched back and forth, hurling Charmy to and fro, before flicking swiftly and launching Charmy into the floor. "But don't ever throw junk in my face again, or I'll flatten ya like a pancake"
Charmy weakly lifted his hand and barely performed a salute with his shaky arm. "Yesh, shur" he moaned comically.
"Aight so, whaddya need me to do?" Charmy shot up in excitement, completely recovered from Vector's playful attack.
"Easy! Tell him to go outside and check on Ray's garden! Then, wha-bam-o! I catch him by surprise with my awesome sneaky skills!" the boy motioned exuberantly with his hands to further illustrate his point. Vector's barrel chest rumbled as he chuckled warmly at Charmy. He marveled at the child, remembering how utterly inept he felt last night as he laid awake, devising failed strategies to get Espio to cheer up. All night long he produced ideas, only to play them out in his head and have them fail.
But Charmy seemed to be sitting on the best method of cheering up the troubled chameleon the whole time. Vector rubbed the top of Charmy's head in a rough, loving gesture. Truly, the kid was something else.
"Well, less start dis plan o' yours. It might actually work" he said as he rose to his feet and headed to Espio's room. His giant hand reached up to the pair of arched top saloon doors leading to the short hallway that led to Espio's room. But a thought occurred to him and he turned to ask Charmy.
"Wait, what 'bout—" his voice halted once he saw there was no one in the room but him. "Man, he really WAS practicin' stealth" he thought, genuinely impressed. The broad shouldered croc resumed his journey to Espio's room, coming to a stop in front of the ninja's Japanese sliding doors. Carefully, Vector moved one hefty index finger to the wooden frame, tapping it lightly.
"Espio?" he called tentatively. There was no response. "Espio, I know yer up. Breakfast was delicious, as usual" Vector complimented, noticing his shadow looming over the translucent paper of the door. He heard the faint sound of Espio exhaling, he sounded tired. The detective already knew his partner hadn't slept last night either, so that was no surprise.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, Vector..."
Good morning, Vector
"Glad you enjoyed it" Espio replied, a somber hint in his tone. Vector continued, hoping the kid could change that in a minute.
"Uh, listen. I need ya to check on Ray's garden. It's been a lil' bit since ya done maintenance on it 'n frankly, yer the only one for da job. My hands ain't for tendin' to delicate plants 'n Charmy is Charmy so dat only leaves you" Vector scratched the top of his head as he spoke, hoping he sounded natural.
There was another uncomfortable pause in the conversation, Espio seemingly ignored Vector's request. But as soon as Vector inhaled to speak again, Espio's door slid open calmly, the smaller chameleon looking up at Vector.
"I'm aware you and Charmy are unable to tend to the garden. I gave my word to Ray that I would take care of the garden, so it's my responsibility alone" he replied flatly, his eyes baggy and his expression hiding only some of the weight he was shouldering. Without another word, Espio walked past Vector and down the dark hallway.
"Thank you for reminding me" he said as he walked further away from Vector, emotionless. The large reptilian man stood still, worried and hopeful.
"Kid, yer plan better work..."
The magenta lizard solemnly meandered to the backyard, a wide expanse of vegetation spanning several feet sat proudly, waiting for his attention. With a tense exhale, Espio went down the line of various plants, spraying them with fresh water. Leaves glistened in the sunlight as the dirt's color darkened thanks to the blessed hydration.
Espio's mind, usually quiet and carefree when tending to the garden, was a roaring swirl of questions and conspiracies. Was he being watched right now? Where was the spy? Were they within projectile range? All he could think about was finding out who was stalking him and getting his hands on the unfortunate individual.
His watering became less and less thorough as his attention shifted from the plants to his surroundings, for once, he cursed the location of the Chaotix's home. Their backyard was surrounded by nothing but trees and grassy hills. Perfect cover for... Espio's prime suspect of the letter's author. Sure, he was more than happy that he didn't live in Central City where anyone and everyone was compromised of security and privacy. The wide expanse of plains that laid peacefully in front of the house was great tactically speaking, the dirt road leading to the city was appreciated. But the backyard, while beautiful and engaging, was nothing more than a horrific collection of blindspots to be exploited.
Why didn't he see it before? He should have cut down all the trees in the surrounding area so their back could be as clear as their front, incoming threats would never be able to surprise them. And why couldn't he shake the feeling that the spy was here, now, watching him? Reading his movements like one of Charmy's children's books. Before, he only had the knowledge that someone, at one time was watching him, but now... he could feel it...
A fairly loud snap and the sensation of crumbling material in his hand brought him out of his head for a moment. He was just in time to see the plastic watering can he had been using fall to the ground, spilling its contents on the dirt outside of the garden's perimeter. The pieces of plastic that used to be its handle were crushed in his tense grip.
"Yare yare daze, Espio. You're losing control" he whispered to himself, shame proliferating his mind. The ninja kneeled down to clean up the mess he made, but felt the spikes on his back raise up. The feeling of someone's presence in his immediate area increased tenfold. And he could sense where exactly they were now.
The tree, just above him. He analyzed the shadows of its branches in his peripheral vision and saw the hint of a person's arm in the shadows. "Amateur..." he thought to himself. He continued cleaning the mess, not wanting to give the mysterious enemy the idea that they were noticed. Espio would play it cool, wait for the right moment, and strike faster than the wind. "This fool has no idea who he is dealing with", Espio thought, his muscles couldn't help but tense as his sixth sense drove his body into hyper awareness.
"He won't know what hit him... when I get my hands on him, I'll make him talk... make him tell me everything he knows..." Espio thought, slowly standing to his feet, trying to keep his fury in check as he did so. He turned to the house and began to take a step.
"Then, once he's said everything... I'll kill him!" he screamed inside, eyes sharp and brows angled like a demon's. The smallest of sounds came from the tree branch, letting Espio know that it was time to strike. In one fluid motion, Espio took out a kunai with one hand and smacked the ground with his other, flinging dirt and the plastic pieces of the watering can in the spy's direction.
They yelped and sputtered at the spray of foreign objects rushing into their vision, Espio taking no time at all to turn invisible and get behind his target with a wide arcing backflip. The chameleon came down on his target like a ferocious dragon diving for its prey. His kunai came up to the screaming enemy's neck as he curled a powerful arm around their tiny body, leaving no room for struggling.
"Who sent you?!" the furious fuchsia shinobi roared, anger on full display. But quickly, he realized his mistake.
"Es— Espio! Hold up, it's me, it's me!" Charmy cried, fearfully reeling as far away from the kunai as he possibly could. Espio grunted in horror and repelled Charmy, sheathing his kunai in the process. Charmy coughed a bit and tended to his neck, huffing big breaths as Espio's mouth caught up to his brain.
"CHARMY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND YOU SHOULD NEVER SNEAK UP ON A NINJA, I COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY HURT YOU!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, all his frustration blasting out at the innocent child.
"I'm— I'm sorry, I did— did— didn't mean—"
"UNACCEPTABLE! YOU WERE IN SERIOUS DANGER, CHARMY! YOU CANNOT DO THESE THINGS WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT! I COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING TO YOU THAT I CAN'T TAKE BACK!" he stomped closer to Charmy, fuming with unbridled fire in his chest. Charmy attempted to back away, too frightened to get up from the ground.
"B- b— but I— I— was only tryin—"
"NO! NO EXCUSES, NAOKO! YOU NEVER THINK BEFORE YOU ACT! DON'T YOU GET IT?! I WAS READY TO KILL—!" Espio stopped mid-sentence. Only now did he notice how ferociously he was acting, and how helpless and terrified Charmy looked up at him. The contortion of the young bee's face was enough to completely snap Espio back to his old temperament.
"Charmy... I... what were you thinking, small one?" he said much calmer and much quieter. Charmy heaved in frightened breaths, stifled the rising need to cry, and tried to find his voice.
"I— I jus'... wanted to show you... how much I been practicin' my ninja stealth..." he said in a small, impossibly genuine voice. The words broke Espio inside. The rushing feeling of his adrenaline, his angst, his paranoia, his rage, all of it escaped from every pore. The feeling dropped him to his knees.
That was what this was? That was why Charmy was out here? That was why he nearly... Because he wanted to show the chameleon, who had always chastised the boy to diligently train in a skill-set that, quite honestly, the child didn't NEED to learn. Because he wanted to prove that he valued and appreciated Espio's teaching and discipline.
"I jus'... I jus' wanted to... make you feel proud..." the still recovering boy whispered, a hurt edge to his words. And that was the last straw. The guilt that Espio was piling on himself in this moment doubled in weight at the sound of Charmy's small voice. How unbelievably heartless could he be, to lash out at one of the most important people in his life, who was only trying to make him feel better. Espio felt as if he was being dragged into the planet itself, the overwhelming sinking feeling of guilt and regret taking over his mind.
"Charmy... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to— I wasn't trying to hurt— I didn't— I'm sorry..." the chameleon nearly begged as he bowed before Charmy. This was one of his greatest shames in life. He could scarcely believe his behavior. Tender hands quickly grabbed the sides of his downturned face and lifted the wallowing reptile to Charmy's eye level.
"No no no, I'm sorry, Espio! I shouldn't have snuck up on you! I thought— I thought it was a good idea, but it was dumb! It was dumb, dumb, dumb! I scared you and I couldn't even sneak attack you in the end! Uggggh! Why did I think this would make you feel better?!" the bee berated himself, eager to take some of the guilt away from the already suffering Espio. The ninja could handle no more and pulled Charmy into his arms in a desperate embrace.
"Your plan worked, small one. I do feel better" softly commented the shinobi, as he rubbed soothing circles on Charmy's small back.
"No it didn't! You're mad... and you're scared... I didn't do anythin' but make ya feel worse..."
"Silence, you are not at fault for my behavior," Espio corrected strongly, pushing Charmy off of him in order to look at the child's face. "Attempting to make me feel better is noble and kind. I am the fool, not you, Charmy"
"But Espio, I couldn't even sneak up on you, ya knew I was there the whole time, didn't ya?" he accused, eyes wide and full of worry.
"I knew someone was there, but not because you weren't careful and even then, I didn't know who was there. And I didn't know how dangerous they were until I grabbed you" he encouraged, tightening his grip on Charmy's tiny shoulders. Charmy looked down at his shoes for a moment.
"Listen Charmy, I am so proud of you. You've really made an effort in your training and you've improved so much farther than I believed you could. And that makes me happy. You successfully surprised me and that cheers me up" As Espio spoke, the insecure boy lifted his head back up to look the ninja in the eye. And he was greeted not with the sharp and deadly gaze of a dangerous ninja warrior. But with the warm soft stare of a truly grateful teammate. A fuzzy heat rumbled in Charmy's stomach and rose to his cheeks as he studied Espio's face for a few moments.
Finally, he felt the courage to speak again. "Did... Did I really make you feel better?" he asked, tentatively, fiddling with his fingers in nervous pantomiming. For the first time that day, Espio released a chuckle, airy and pleasant, his smile returned and the sun shined just a bit brighter because of it. That was Charmy's answer.
"Woah... I did it! Hahaha! Never underestimate the power of the most distractin' boy in the world!" Charmy cheered incredulously, flying into the air to celebrate in a rambunctious dance. Espio watched him, his small smile spreading wider. He really did feel more relaxed than he had in two days.
"Yes, you did it. But because of you, I crushed the watering pot and failed to finish my task of watering the garden. Now you get to help me as penance" the coy shinobi commanded. Charmy whipped his head down at Espio, his earlier smile replaced with a gaping maw of disapproval.
"Whaaaaat?! Nooooo, I don't wanna water all these stupid plaaaaants!" he whined, drooping his shoulders and legs in annoyance.
"Too bad, you are helping me whether you desire to do so or not. Now fetch me the other watering pot under the sink" he ordered, smirking up at the disapproving toddler. With a long, loud, exasperated sigh, Charmy fluttered inside the house and returned seconds later with a metal watering pot.
"So unfaaaaair..." he groaned as he handed the watering pot to Espio's patient hand. However, as Espio resumed watering the vegetation, Charmy cracked one eye open and looked at his older companion, a knowing smile rising to his face. He pulled out a packet of plant food from his jacket pocket and sprinkled the areas that Espio had already watered.
The two detectives enjoyed their tasks in comfortable silence, the earlier tension completely obliterated as peace reigned in the backyard. It took an hour, but the two of them finished their task and looked at their work with a small sense of pride. Ray will be pleased they were taking such good care of his garden, whenever he got back from his trip with Mighty. Espio clapped his hands together, ridding his gloves of most of the dirt that littered them. Charmy mimicked his gesture with less poise and restraint.
"Now, that wasn't so difficult, was it?" Espio pointed his words toward Charmy, turning to look at the floating boy.
"It wasn't too boring, I guess" he sniffed, avoiding eye contact with the smug chameleon who chuckled for the second time that day.
"Well, you've earned a break from chores, come, let's go back inside the house and read one of your comic books" the shinobi offered as he pulled the backdoor open and stepped back inside the cooler interior of their home.
"Sweet!" Charmy exclaimed, rushing past him. "Will ya do the cool voices, Espio? Pleeeeease?" he begged as he flew backwards to the stairs.
"Yes, yes. How else would one read a comic book?" he asked playfully. Charmy beamed at his older friend and bolted upstairs to shift through his collection of action packed entertainment. He returned within seconds and came barreling down with a stack of magazines.
"Woah, don'tcha think dats a bit much fer Espio to read, champ?" Vector chimed in from across the rooms, looking between Charmy and Espio, before focusing his gaze on the magenta teen. Espio smiled at him, communicating everything Vector needed to know in a single look: appreciation, happiness, contentment, and yet, fear and worry still managed to burst through.
Vector nodded in response, offering a comforting smile to his smaller friend, which let Espio know everything he needed to in a single gesture. Charmy plopped the comics on the ground and sat in front of the pile.
"Espio can pick the ones he wants to read and I'll take the rest upstairs after!" Charmy said happily, smiling up at Vector. The jade giant walked up to him and sat next to the boy on the floor, rubbing his head gruffly, thanking him for his hardwork without saying a word. Espio calmly walked over to his teammates and sat behind Charmy, the bee hopping into his lap as soon as he was settled.
"Hmm, let's see here... which one should we begin with?" he asked, scanning the pile absentmindedly. Within the collection of various randomly selected paperbacks, one stood out to the ninja. He plucked it out of the pile and realized just why that one held his attention longer than the others.
The comic had hirigana on it, bright and bold colors were used along with an odd graphic style to title the book. Its cover displayed a pair of serious, piercing yellow-green eyes, separated by the sharp blade of the man's sword, a white background making the flowing hair of the character standout all the more. Upon closer inspection, Espio realized the book's spine was on the opposite side than a normal comic book, this comic's thickness also took him by surprise.
"Oooh, ya picked a good one, Espio! This one is super epic! And you'll really like it, it's got ninjas in it!" Charmy cheered, excitement emanating off of him in waves. Espio looked between Charmy and the comic, finally deciding to just read the thing.
"Alright then, this book is called, Basilisk. Which is a giant creature of legend, said to be King of all snakes" he explained as he opened the comic to its first page, Charmy sitting in awe of Espio's knowledge of things like that. Vector simply leaned in closer to see the pictures as Espio allowed Charmy to absorb the first image displayed, a dramatic 2 page spread of all of the characters posing toward the viewer in typical ways, all except the cover character, who was looking away from the viewer. Splatters of blood were painted over the picture to add more edge, Espio supposed.
He turned the page again and the story began. "Half a year back in time..." Espio narrated in a quirky, booming voice, inciting a giggle from Charmy. "Kouga Manji Village, where an unsightly spider-like monkey sits by the river, waiting for a fish to bite. His name is Kouga Kazamachi Shougen..."
Espio continued to read for the next half hour, bringing to life the bombastic story of rival ninja clans destroying each other behind the backs of their leaders. He did sound effects, made creative commentary, and when Charmy would ask if something the characters did was possible, he would answer truthfully. Much to Charmy's dismay, most of the things the ninjas did were impossible.
Finally, the book ended and Espio placed it back in the pile. "Woah, that was SOOOOO COOOOOL..." Charmy said in awe, playing with Espio's spiraling tail a bit.
"It was certainly something" Espio said sarcastically, still upset about a few details of combat that the author's clearly knew nowhere near as much as Espio. As he reached for a completely different comic, Charmy stayed silent for a moment, thinking hard about something. Before Espio could get started with the new comic, one about mutated teenage tortoises who just so happened to be kung-fu masters as well, Charmy asked something. Something that completely derailed Espio's train of thought.
"Hey Espio, do ya think I could be a cool ninja like you someday?" he looked up at the magenta man, his hands still holding fast to Espio's swirling tail. The sheer suddenness of the question froze Espio, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at Charmy's expecting face.
He didn't even know. He didn't even know what being a "cool ninja like him" meant. A painful reminder of how completely foreign the boy's perception of ninja was compared to the real thing. Espio's past flashed in his mind's eye, cruel gruesome images he had always hoped he would forget someday, but knew he couldn't. The innocent child didn't even know what he had to go through... how much pain he caused everyone... all the death... The kid didn't even know.
He looked to comic books, the works of fiction created by people so far removed from the true horror of the ninja lifestyle, they glamorized it. Lying to the world that this was a life worth admiring, worth reverence... What a joke... Espio regained his composure, his smile formed into a tight line of stoic reservation.
"I believe you are already... a more honorable person than any ninja, ware no kozō"
Author's Note: I just wanted to lay some foundation for some things that'll come way way later and ease that tension from the previous chapter. The manga that Espio reads is an actual manga and anime series about ninjas and stuff. I know I could have just put Naruto in there, but Naruto is very much the opposite of how ninjas really fight and I don't think Espio would be able to read past the 4th page of the book XDDDD So Basilisk seemed like a better choice for his character.
Hope you enjoyed it, because I'm ramping things up next time! Stay tuned