Graveyard of a Madman Part 11

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They sat in her very nicely decorated dressing room, and there was another slew of alcohol, and tears as the two siblings caught up on such a long time away from one another. Their endeavors had both been long, and arduous, and unlike the other two siblings, Kiria was the only one who did not leave the island that they had all three parted ways. She became a stock girl for the local produce market for almost a year before becoming a waitress at the club, and slowly working her way up into the persona as Miss Kindness. That was when they started talking about Migoto.

Kiria: Yes, she stuck around with me for about a month after you left, and at that point, our kind wasn’t the most accepted around these parts. She took a job in the News print, and they treated her so poorly. She would come home with ink all over her body, and the last day she was here, she was absolutely covered in it from head to toe. The cruelty took its toll on her, and she left with a very sour taste in her mouth.

Kiria looked over at Rinji to see his head was propped up against his fist. She knew what he was thinking, and she knew that it taxed him a great deal. Kiria: Rinji, Migoto had every opportunity to change herself, and stay here, in a place she was accepted. Instead, she strove for dominance instead of equality. Now she lives with that pain hung over her head like a veil. I am sorry to hear how distorted her vision has become, but at the same time, it comes as little surprise. And she’s back here on the island?

Rinji: Yeah, she saved me and my crew from going down with my ship.

Kiria: Oh, Rinji, I’m so sorry [She filled his glass back up.] Losing something so precious is already heart wrenching, and to meet with Migoto in that state, I’m surprised you’re still standing.

Rinji: I’m not standing… [Took a long swig of his brandy and cringed.] I can’t remember the last time I hit my ass so hard. I don’t think I’ve seen this deep of a rock bottom since the first crew I joined, Captain Cross and his subordinates, all of them were captured and sentenced to death. This day is a very close second to that.

Kiria: But you still have your crew, don’t you?

Rinji: Well, yeah, but—

Kiria: No, no, Rinji, stop it. You are so good at talking yourself down into the pits. You need to look at what you still have left. Your entire crew survived that whole incident, even with those devil fruit powers of yours. Come on, show me again. [Her smile began to brighten with those lovely eyes.] Come on!

Rinji: Awww come on, it’s not that cool.

Kiria: What are you talking about?! A Cheshire cat?! What in the hell is cooler than that, please, by all means, tell me what is cooler than being a Cheshire cat?

Rinji let out a grin, and his fur grew into the purple and white, with his eyes turning red. She squealed with delight and clapped her hands, more than a little drunk at that point. She would give Rinji one thing, being a hardened criminal, wanted by the government sure heightened his alcohol tolerance.

Kiria: I mean, really, what are the chances that you would get a cat fruit?

Rinji: Mewhahahaha! That’s what Chio said, and yes, while it is not entirely a coincidence, I do have to say that was one of the strangest occurrences in my life.

Kiria: Alright, Rinji, my shift has been over for a while now. After a good night’s sleep, you can go show me your whole crew! I especially want to see Jiro again, it has been entirely too long! After him, you are going to introduce me to Dala.

Rinji: I knew you’d say that [Got up from the seat and stretched a bit.] I could use some sleep, that much is true. So do you have tomorrow off?

Kiria: Nyahihihihihihi! I’m Miss Kindness, you big goof! I choose my hours!

Rinji: Mewhahahahahaha! Alright then, lead the way. You can show me around the good parts of Tsukiyaki.

Kiria: You know it.

They both got up and left that place, Kiria showed him the backway out, and as they got to the alleyway, five spotlights lit up the entire area around them both, and Rinji turned to see dozens of rifles pointed at the two of them, as well as a giant in the back, who held a giant sword.

Giant: Catman Rinji! You have been charged with numerous crimes, and are wanted by the World Government! Put your hand—err paws in the air and give yourself up. You are to comply immediately or we will fire on you!

Kiria: Rinji! [She looked toward him, and he looked back toward her, his face changed from the fun-loving expression he had, and instantly changed to his pupils shrinking to the size of pepper pieces, and his ears turning backward as he became poised to act.]

Rinji: Kiria, do not go home tonight, stay with a friend, and in the morning, look for Jiro. I will see you when you when the heat’s gone down.

Kiria: Rinji! Are you crazy? There’s too many—

Rinji: Go, Kiria. I swear that I will not lose you again! Go!

Kiria turned and ran down the other path of the alley, and easily hopped the fence.

Giant: You! Stop right there! You’ll be needed for questioning!

Rinji did not hesitate in turning himself into his Cheshire hybrid form. As they turned their aim toward his sister, his eyes widened in absolute rage. He grew absolutely gigantic, only one foot shorter than the giant that stood in his marine uniform. Their bullets fired, but he took them, shielding his sister from the barrage. Rinji raised his fist, and thrust it toward them. It smashed into one of their spotlights and knocked three of them back and down, hard. The giant lifted his sword and charged, howling toward Rinji as he was about to swipe.

Rinji: Busoshoku! Shogekiha!!!! [With both of his fists thrusted toward the giant, he was stopped, and his eyes went completely blank. The combination of such a huge attack, mixed with the furious pain he felt inside his torso, he started to tumble backward.]

A bazooka went off beside Rinji, and struck him in the shoulder. He smashed against the building beside him, and held his shoulder as he began to shrink back to his normal size. The marines gave the order to charge now that he was his normal size. Their rifles went back up toward him, and their blades came unsheathed. All of them charged Rinji, but he recovered from his shoulder as he opened his eyes, and his claws became bared.

Rinji: Rinji Renda!!! [All around him, he cringed against his pain as his claws went all over the place, swiping left and right against them.]

It was not his shoulder pain that stopped him, it was the pain he felt, as it was before. His attack ceased, and his paws clenched against his torso. The damage he had received from his battle inside Black Bone Tower began to weigh him down. He stumbled away from all of them as they tried to recover from the confusion. What they saw of him in his attacks was nothing but a dark, red blur.

He tried to run past them, but the giant got up in front of him, and towered over the Nekojin pirate. His eyes fixed on him, his eyebrows furrowed, and his teeth clenched as he lifted up his sword. He growled his most sinister sneer toward the Catman, but then was suddenly cut short as a dark figure landed on his bent knee. He looked down to see another Nekojin, one who was in a black and white tuxedo, and was fixing his collar.

Giant: What the…

Figure: Nekogenpou: Kinzoku-te! [He slapped his paw down onto the giant’s knee, and from that slap, the knee and femur let out a horrifyingly loud crunch! The leg seemed to implode on itself, the pressure of the attack caused his entire body to tremble, and without his leg, he could not hold himself up.]

Giant: GAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! [His voice rang out throughout the whole city, and all of the naval soldiers stood and watched as their Lieutenant Commander fell backward in horrible pain.]

The figure jumped down and landed beside Rinji, seeing that he was in terrible pain.

Sion: You should not have been fighting in that state. Your wounds have healed but the damage is still grievous. [He took Rinji’s paw.] Come.

As Sion led Rinji away from there, the soldiers turned their sights onto the two Nekojin.

Soldier: Stop right there! [Began to shiver, and dropped to the ground, unconscious.]

Soldier2: Hey! What happened?!

That’s when all of them noticed another dark figure walking on the chest of Lieutenant Commander Gregory. She was another Nekojin, and she smoked very expensive, black cigarettes with an extra-long cigarette holder. She looked at all of them with sharp, red eyes as they turned their rifles onto her, and her gaze caused yet another of them to go dead-eyed, and fall to the ground.

Soldier2: Open fire!

Migoto: Nekogenpou…

Their rifles fired at her.

Migoto: HOKOOOOOUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!

Her scream rang out toward all of them, and the bullets stopped in midair for one single instant. Time itself seemed to stop within the reach of her sound wave. With the force of a hurricane it all came crashing back. Lieutenant Commander Gregory was blasted along with everything else, and Migoto easily jumped up and landed on the ground as he flew. Windows crashed in all around them, and grass began to uproot from the ground. The soldiers were blasted away along with the alley fence and everything in it. The sides of buildings began to crack hard. The Marines were wiped out, their spotlights crumbled and blew away like leaves in a gust of wind.

When it was all over, the buildings continued to rumble until the vibrations stopped. Dirt clung to the sides and fronts of buildings, and whatever was in her path was now almost a mile down the street, in shambles. She coughed, and lit herself another cigarette.

Rinji shrugged off Sion’s grasp as he tried to lead him back to the shore.

Rinji: Thanks for the save, but I have a previous engagement. [Started to walk back toward the other side of the city.]

Sion: I do not believe the lady would like to hear that you denied our courtesy.

Rinji: Tell Migoto that if she wants to talk, she can come find me.

Sion’s eyes widened at this utter disregard for his lady. His face grew grim after that.