19Oh my goodness. I owe everyone who left reviews, favorites, and follows a big apology for taking so long to update, and a big thanks for showing interest in what little I've provided as the start of the story. Updating really shouldn't have taken this long. Plot bunnies multiplied, plus life got in the way. I'm doing my best to update the many fics I left hanging, including this one.
Wild Side (2)
Ordinary Kid In An Ordinary Family
Ten year old Ryuji Mikifugi wrung his hands as he waited for the bus. Anxiety gnawed at his insides like a beaver on overdrive. Other students milled about Ryuji as they either joined him at the bus stop or went ahead to hop into their parents' cars. Ryuji bit down hard on his bottom lip, resisting the urge to give in to his nervousness and bite on his nails. It was a bad habit he still couldn't shake off. Ryuji turned instead to pulling at and twirling the end of the red strand amid his fringe of dark hair.
He felt a rough shove from behind. Ryuji stumbled and caught himself on a pole, the force of the push swinging him around a full 360 degrees around the pole so that he faced his assailant.
"Hey Mikifugi, where's your bodyguard?" A mean-looking boy sneered. Two of his friends, who looked just as ugly and mean, flanked him and they all leered at Ryuji through narrowed, beady eyes like he was something to eat. Older kids in middle school. Everyone else in his class, on the other hand, picked no bone with him.
Ryuji tried to collect himself and he glared back at them. "She's not my bodyguard. She's my best friend."
"Oh, really? Some friend she is, leaving you out here all by yourself."
Ryuji felt his blood boil. "She didn't abandon me. She's just late to the bus stop." He wished they could just go away and stop picking on him. He felt his knees tremble and his legs go weak. His father had just gotten him a new uniform, and he wouldn't be happy if Ryuji came home ruining it.
The ringleader's smug grin instantly vanished under a lightning-quick punch to the face that came out of nowhere. He lurched back, his face intact instead of caved in. The punch turned out to be a feint. The other boys stumbled back in fear to reveal a petite girl with a bowl cut and wide brown eyes.
"Sorry for being late, Ryuji," she said brightly.
He was so relieved his friend showed up that he swore he heard a "Hallelujah!" ring in his head. She held up a clenched fist at the bullies, who slinked away before the she could properly deal with them.
She turned back to Ryuji with a sweet smile. "You all right?"
He sighed in relief. "Yeah, thanks to you, Momo."
Hatsumomo Gamagori, the daughter of Ira Gamagori and Mako Mankanshoku, had a smile that never failed to cheer him up. Of course, her cheerfulness belied the freakishly immense strength she possessed, which she inherited from her father. She put that strength to good use, everything from sports to protecting Ryuji from middle school bullies. Ryuji was grateful to have a good friend like Momo.
At the same time, it embarrassed him that he relied on her too much to fight his battles. He often wished his school uniform could turn into armor and protect his skinny, frail frame from schoolyard bullies. Instead, his uniform would just get dirty and flimsy, and his mother would have to wash it every day. Ryuji hated feeling like a baby who couldn't take care of himself.
Momo waved a hand over his face. "Daydreaming again, Ryuji? Spacing out makes you an easy target. You should be more careful."
"Yeah, I should." When the bus arrived and the doors hissed open, Ryuji let Momo step up first. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Momo. You're always looking out for me."
She beamed back as she saved a seat for him on the bus. "That's what friends are for."
Ryuji stared in dismay at the assignment in his hands. His teacher picked the worst possible time for assigning the final class project of the year. Ryuji and his classmates had to interview their parents, then present their findings on the day the project was due. Family show and tell, more or less.
Sitting at a desk to Ryuji's right, Momo peered at him with curious, wide eyes. "Hey, why are you looking so down? Class projects shouldn't be a big deal for you. They never have been."
"There's a first time for everything, Momo," he replied with a sigh. "My mom and dad are already out of town, and won't be back in a week, so I can't ask them."
"Right, that reminds me...you're staying over at my house, aren't you? Well, until your parents come back, of course."
Ryuji cracked a smile. He really looked forward to that. Staying over at his best friend's for a week sounded like loads of fun. His excitement was short-lived and he slumped in his seat. "How am I going to get this project done, though?"
"My mom is best friends with your mom. I'm sure she can give you some answers," Momo suggested. "It's secondhand information, but to be honest, there's not much you can do at this point, with your parents being away and all."
He nodded in glum agreement. This project had terrible timing. Well, even if his parents were home for him to ask, he figured that they wouldn't be able to offer much of an exciting story.
Ryuji hadn't the slightest idea that his parents were covert operatives of a certain Life Fiber resistance group. Nudist Beach had been laying low for many years since Ragyo Kiryuin's defeat, but Aikuro always said better to be safe than sorry to keep Nudist Breach from disbanding. Recently there had been unusual Life Fiber activity detected in South Korea. Aikuro and Ryuko had to investigate. All during the flight from Japan to their cab drive to a hotel, Aikuro didn't fail to notice the tension taut all over Ryuko's face.
In the privacy of their hotel room, overlooking a scenic sunset, he gently nudged her in the ribs. "Come on, Ryuko, what's wrong?" Despite his prompting, he knew exactly what was on her mind, but it'd be better for her to let it out than bottle it in.
Ryuko frowned as she continued to stare out the window. "Can we really leave Ryuji alone for this long? He's never been this far apart from us before."
"He won't be alone," her husband assured her. "He'll be with Momo and the Gamagoris. They'll keep him entertained and occupied for a while."
That, and his slow, soothing strokes over her back, did little to persuade her. "I'm not worried about him being bored. I want to be sure that he's safe." She balled up one side of her head into a fistful of hair. "Aw crap, did I really leave enough medicine for him? Does he have our numbers memorized? What if he calls and needs help while we're in the middle of the investigation?" She jolted when he clapped her on the back.
"Cheer up, Ryuko. Enjoy the sights of Seoul. You worry too much."
"You don't worry enough," she retorted.
Fondness for his wife twinkled in his eyes. "It's so endearing, seeing you fuss over our kid." He tapped a finger to his chiseled chin. "I recall you not showing nearly as much regard for your own life as you threw yourself into battle after battle."
Ryuko furrowed her brow. "That was a long time ago. I've changed."
He quirked an eyebrow. "Have you, really? That's what you want to think. There's still that fiery spirit you like to hide deep inside these days." He leaned his face closer to hers. "Let it shine now. Show me the spirit that made me fall head over heels for you."
Ryuji halfheartedly pushed at his bare chest. "Hey, cut it out," she mumbled. "I'm not in the mood." He never dropped that habit of teasing little by little out of his shirt when he wanted to get her all hot and bothered. It didn't always work at first, but Aikuro had a way of making it work in the end.
He wrapped his arms around Ryuko, flattening her against the bed and trailed fluttering kisses along her neck. "Don't worry about Ryuji," he murmured against her skin. "He's far away from any kind of danger. He's in good hands. Just like how you are in mine."
Ryuko shuddered under his touch. His charm was irresistible. Underneath that charm was encouragement from him to relax and trust their son to be okay on his own. And Ryuji wasn't really on his own. He had his best friend Momo, his aunt Satsuki, and their families. Ryuko couldn't ask for a better group of people to look after her kid. They were more than she ever had when she was growing up.
"He really is lucky," she agreed. And she responded to Aikuro's sensuous ministrations with her arms around his neck and legs around his waist.
The Gamagori house was big for only a family of three. It was made to accommodate Mr. Gamagori's size and withstand his marching around.
After school and the bus ride home, Momo burst through the threshold of the front door with Ryuji in tow. "Hi, Daddy!"
Gamagori leaned down to kiss the top of his daughter's head. "Hello, Momo, my little princess. Had a good day today?"
"Every day at school with Ryuji is a good day."
At that, Aikuro and Ryuko's son flushed.
Mr. Gamagori's big, dark hand dwarfed Ryuji's as he shook it heartily. "It's a pleasure to have you over, Ryuji. Make yourself comfortable."
Momo wasn't kidding when she claimed that her family served up dinner the size of mainland China. Momo's mom, Mako, made excellent croquettes. Momo was trying to learn the Mankanshoku family recipe herself. Ryuji felt small before the big table, and even smaller next to Mr. Gamagori.
Momo jabbed her chopsticks at Ryuji's bowl. "Hurry up and eat your food, or Guts and his puppies will eat it all!"
Too late. Guts and his formidable army of pug-poodle hybrid offspring jumped right into Ryuji's lap. He gaped as they gobbled up his food in record time.
Startled at first, Ryuji laughed as he held up his hands to shield his face from the mess they made. "It's okay, Momo. The dogs can have the rest. I'm not really hungry, anyway."
Mako smiled. "Aww, you're just like your mom. When my family took her in, she never ate much either."
That made him look up with interest. There was a lot about his mother that he didn't know. She wouldn't bring up much of her past, only that she didn't want to talk about it.
"Mrs. Gamagori, what do you know about my mom? What was she like before she had me?"
So much like her daughter, Mrs. Gamagori beamed and gestured wildly with her hands. "Oh, where do I start?"
She then talked so fast and so much that it made Ryuji's head spin as if a tornado ripped through the house. All he could do was acknowledge her with a nod when she paused to catch her breath.
"So what do you think of my mom's stories?" Momo asked after dinner.
He frowned. "I...I don't know, Momo. The way she talks about my mom sounds so crazy that it can't be real."
"Mom never lies. I'm sure she's telling the truth."
Ryuji didn't reply to spur an argument. He bid Momo good night and promptly went to bed. Ryuji then had the weirdest dream. Something about clothes that talked. When he was very little, Mom used to tell him bedtime stories about clothes that did so much more than cover a person. Clothes with feelings and special powers. He used to love those stories and beg his mom to repeat them over and over. He heard his name. Was it his pajamas talking? Was he going crazy? Suddenly he heard a voice that made his ears ring.
"Ryuji Mikisugi!"
It sounded too close and too loud to be a dream. The boy yelped and jolted up in his bed. His ears rang. He looked around in confused panic. He quickly figured out why there seemed to be such a huge shadow at his doorway. "Wha-? Mr. Gamagori...?"
"Up on your feet, Ryuji," Mr. Gamagori boomed. "Waking up early and making the most of your day is the cornerstone of discipline."
Ryuji bit back a complaint. He was not an early bird. He stumbled out of bed in a groggy daze.
"I'll take you with me to Hikari Academy so you can meet your aunt. She's busy throughout the day, but she has some free time before school starts. That's why I'm taking you early."
"Oh, okay. Thanks." Ryuji fumbled for his school uniform to change into.
His aunt Satsuki was the principal of a primary school. Unlike most principals, Satsuki rarely spent the day cooped up in her office and burying herself in paperwork. She liked strolling down the halls to check on the students. It was clear to Ryuji that the kids adored her, from the smiles and cheerful greetings they made when they saw her. He followed Aunt Satsuki into her office so they could properly talk.
He didn't fail to notice that behind her, a katana hung on hooks bolted to the wall. Was it just a prop to decorate the office? He wondered if it was real. It looked pretty real.
From behind her desk, Satsuki smiled down at her only nephew. "It's so nice to see you again, Ryuji. Would you like some tea?"
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you." Ryuji took slow, careful sips of the steaming tea his aunt poured for him. "Where are Makaku and Gibon?"
"They're still at home. I let them sleep in with their dad."
Ryuji's cousins, Satsuki's sons, were twins. Makaku was older than Gibon by thirteen minutes, and both were younger than Ryuji by three years. His aunt was the picture of grace and serenity. Ryuji wondered how she could ever maintain her composure and sanity like that with two wild, jumping, hyperactive monkeys for kids.
Satsuki tucked short black locks behind her ear. "What brings you here to Hikari Academy so early, Ryuji? How may I help you?"
He took a sip before replying, "It's about my mom. And my dad. I have to interview them for my school project, but obviously they're not around to be interviewed right now. The assignment's due before they come back home. I was hoping that I could interview you about them instead." He passed on what Mrs. Gamagori had told him the best he could.
At that, Satsuki cracked a grin. "Well, if she said that much, I suppose there's no need for me to hold anything back."
"Hold what back? What do you mean, Aunt Satsuki?"
"What if I told you that the stories from Mrs. Gamagori are true?"
Ryuji blinked several times in disbelief. He didn't expect this from his aunt, who was the definition of straight-laced and serious. She didn't seem like the kind of person to endorse wild, ridiculous stories.
"Life Fibers are real? Aliens were really here?"
Satsuki sighed. "Your mother would be disappointed and embarrassed if she were here. Long ago she insisted I don't tell you anything about the time before you came into her life. She may be my only sister, and I never break promises." A corner of her lip twitched upward. "But I made no promises in the first place to comply." She glanced at the clock on her office wall. "School's going to start soon. You'd better head back to your own school, Ryuji. We can talk more about this at my house later."
"With Makaku and Gibon around?" Ryuji asked in disbelief.
Satsuki smiled behind the rim of her teacup. "When there's a will, there's a way."
Ryuji had thought for the longest time that his mom was just the stay-at-home kind. Dad ran an acupuncture business. His parents were perfectly ordinary, and honestly quite boring, as far as he knew. He was an ordinary kid in an ordinary family. Now Mrs. Gamagori and his aunt were telling him that his parents were in fact heavily tied to the so-called Life Fibers. Aliens that he and other kids took to be myths. One thing he knew for sure: he would have lots of questions for his parents when they got back.
Makaku and Gibon are Japanese for macaque and gibbon: kinds of monkeys.
I'm just so fond of the parental characters trope/storyline. Doing it for KLK is even better considering how over-the-top and crazy the characters are in the anime. The thought of them settling down to have families is fun to work with.
I mentioned a while back that I had in mind a KLK multi-chapter fic, Thread of Fate, which involves return of the Life Fibers and the mythological Sisters of Fate being the villains. I've decided to combine the storylines of Wild Side and Thread of Fate. I hope that'd pique your interest. It's been years since I saw the anime. Now that I have Hulu, I can rewatch it!
