Unity Painted In Snow

By. Indigo Siren

Disclaimer: Bloody Roar ? Konami. Any character or other references from the game belongs to the original creators and not the author. Though, any original characters and plot situations within this story do belong to the author and must not be used without permission. This is a non-profit fan story and is written for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.

A/N: It's been a long time, but finally, a brand new Bloody Roar multi-part story. It is actually a combination of numerous story ideas – probably about 3 or 4 that never came to fruition. It's going to star quite a large cast of characters throughout, and hopefully I will be able to explore them all quite thoroughly as I take them on this story journey. This is a standalone story, so doesn't relate to any of my previous works.

There will also be pairings included in the story. Some are indicated from the offset, while there may be other formations as the story progresses. Some you may like, some you might not, but these are the ones I will be following through with so let's try to keep the complaints on that down to a minimum please.

So, let's get on with the show! Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Arrivals

Hokkaido had some of the most beautiful winter scenery that could be found anywhere in the world.

Pure white snow layered the ground as far as the eye could see, blanketing the passing landscapes like a thick dusting of icing sugar. Gentle winter sunlight danced across the vast alabaster sea of snow, giving it a proud, eye-catching twinkle. Much of the faraway expanses of wilderness were left untouched, contrasting prominently with the areas closest to suburban residences, which bared the distinct marks of footfalls and sledge tracks like subtle strokes of calligraphy. Together, it was a flawless cohesion of nature and everyday life.

"It's so wonderful. Everything looks like it's covered in white diamonds..."

Yugo Ogami glanced over at his companion, the ever sentimental Alice Nonomura, who admired their passing surroundings with a tranquil expression. He might not have used the same words to describe the scenery, but he did share in her enchanted opinion. He'd always loved snow as a child – in those rare instances when snow actually settled on the ground. The south-east portions of Japan mainly had mild winters compared to the rest of the country, making snowfall quite a treat... or a hindrance depending on the point of view.

Viewing the dazzling white scenery made it very easy to reminisce on the few precious, wintery memories from his childhood. He distinctly remembered the sound of fresh snow crunching under foot, getting to ride his sled down steep snowy hills – which usually involved him getting shouted at by fellow pedestrians, and toasty evenings watching the snowflakes cling to the windows as gentle flurries came down at night.

He didn't miss the numb fingers or the assault of snowballs to face; right now he was quite happy to watch the winter scenes pass him by in the warmth of their rented Jeep. Despite his lessened enjoyment of wintertime as he got older, he did have to smile when they passed a lone snowman in the middle of a park, grinning with its pebble mouth under a huge carrot nose and button eyes. Nothing said winter quite like a snowman.

Every now and then he would move his hand across to the heater, which blasted its majestic warmth around the car. Winter was a very tiring season for him, and at times, just too cold for him to bear. Wolves were winter faring creatures; they didn't hibernate, instead they adapted to the cold temperatures with the thickening of their fur. Despite a more animalistic part of him itching to frolic in the snow, snaffling around for fresh meat in the undergrowth, the other part of him just wanted to stay safely tucked up in bed and wait for the winter to thaw into spring.

He wondered why he'd even agreed to make this journey to Hokkaido, leaving cosy old Tokyo behind for a fortnight, especially in January. When he thought of vacations, he dreamed of lazy days on golden beaches, browning under the sun with a beer in one hand and an ice cream in the other. He'd never even contemplated a winter break, surrounding himself in layers of snow and ice. It hadn't sounded all that appealing.

The trip had all come about with a surprise visit from his long time friend, Alan Gado, who'd dropped by the W.O.C.'s head office, proposing this not-so little excursion. A much needed vacation for all of them, he'd said in that diplomatic way that had earned him such prestige in the United Nations. Yugo hadn't really known what to think – let alone say – about a winter excursion up to Hokkaido. True, he'd never been, and had heard so many good things about the northern island, but it was far from his first thought of a holidaying destination. In fact, he hadn't thought about taking a vacation in any capacity. Despite running a successful NGO, he wasn't always abundant in the money department.

Over a couple of mugs of hot coffee, Gado had told him about an old mercenary, a man by the name of Yoshio Kinoshita, who had been good friends with both himself and Yugo's father, Yuji, during their early days as mercenaries in the field. He'd been a much older man, a mentor figure, who'd been around to guide them through their first missions. He had retired midway during Gado's mercenary career due to persistent health problems, the result of a number of serious injuries received during his time on the battlefield. But his efforts in the field had not been without reward. He had amassed his fortunes undertaking many dangerous operations; so when it finally came time to hang up his gun, he'd retired to a quiet spot in Hokkaido and purchased a few acres of land, where he'd built a number of holiday cabins to capitalise on the budding tourist economy in the area. Gado had explained that Kinoshita had offered them the use of two of his cabins for a fortnight as a favour to an old friend, which also extended out to Yugo in place of Yuji.

Yugo had been surprised by such a generous offer, and when he'd asked what Gado had done to earn it, he'd completely brushed over the reason, merely saying that Kinoshita owed him for bailing him out not too long ago; nothing else was divulged on that front. It had been left up to Yugo's imagination for the most part to guess what he could have possibly done for his former comrade, which left his mind to drift into questionable territory.

As conversation went on, it was explained that the cabins were located in a nice quiet area, surrounded by woodland and mountains. The kind of place, as Gado had sold it him, where you could commune with nature and relax without too much disruption. Though, they were still within a short drive from a town, so they would never be without provisions. They could do as much or as little as they wanted, as the cabins were fitted out with all the mod-cons, so if they didn't feel like venturing out to the all the potential visitor hotspots, they could kick back and done nothing in comfort as well.

The two cabins could take twelve people between them, so they could invite friends along to enjoy the free break.

He might have been dubious at first, but Yugo eventually gave in, deciding that he could probably do with kicking back from work for a couple of weeks. Gado had already secured six places for him and a select group, and told Yugo he could fill up the last places with whomever he wanted. Of course, the wolf's first choice was always going to be his girlfriend, Alice, who was thrilled at the idea of a winter break, and had suggested they bring their siblings along while their school was still on vacation. There was little need to convince Uriko Nonomura, who was almost bouncing off the walls in excitement, wondering if her suitcase was going to big enough for everything she wanted to take. Kenji Ogami, on the other hand, was a little more hesitant. He worried about the W.O.C. being without its three executive operatives, as well as wanting to keep on top of his reading assignments for school. Yugo had told him to chill out, which might have also included some not so eloquent words about him being 'too much of a dork sometimes' and that Alice had already undertaken the task of selecting some of their brightest workers to temporarily take the reins while they were away. With that sorted, Kenji had no excuse not to join them.

It had been suggested that the last two places go to Uriko's parents, who were long overdue a vacation, but it clashed with her father's trip away to Osaka for a work seminar. It was not unusual for him to get roped into such things in place of his other colleagues, and he was just too polite to say no when asked. With her husband called away, Mitsuko had politely declined, not wanting to be a third wheel for her daughters, but had said that they would collect Uriko themselves on the last day, as it would work out nicely for them to make a short excursion to see old friends who'd moved to Hokkaido a short while back.

That still left two places still up for grabs.

It had been Nagi Kirishima's lucky day, having appeared in the office at just the right time to help out with decorations for the W.O.C.'s Christmas party. Yugo had taken her aside and told her about the trip, seeing if it was something that she might like to go on. She figured she'd be able to get time off from her main job as a mechanic – as she was due some holiday time anyway – and asked if she could bring a companion with her. Having run out of ideas for other people to ask, Yugo had agreed.

And so, that's how they'd ended up travelling the scenic roads of Hokkaido at the start of the New Year. Kenji and Uriko were occupying the backseat of the Jeep, the former engrossed in one of his thick paperback books on some subject a little too complicated for Yugo to grasp, and the latter listening to music with her 'Cat Ear' headphones while playing a game on a handheld console. Usually Uriko was loud and irritating on such long trips, but full of drive thru fast food and thoroughly distracted by this year's Christmas presents, she was as quiet as a mouse – as ironic as that was. The only sounds filling the Jeep were the purr of the engine and a CD playing a variety of music over the stereo.

Yugo had wondered who Gado had, himself, invited along for the trip. Without a doubt Jenny would be there. Where would the lion Zoanthrope be without his main squeeze, after all? He also considered Shina was a high probability, but whomever else, he wasn't sure. Maybe he should have just asked in the first place.

Ah well, much too late to be worrying about that now! Though, it also came to mind that he probably should have asked Nagi as well about who she'd decided to bring along.

Pushing all thoughts aside, he focused on the road ahead. It had been quite the task to figure one isolated highway from another. According to their map, they'd just skirted around the edge of the town that was closest to where the cabins were located, so they didn't have much further to drive to reach their destination. They'd been given very specific instructions passed on by Gado, which Alice was reciting every so often so they didn't get lost. It certainly didn't seem to be one of the easiest places to get to, not with all the winding roads and multiple junctions that weren't even signposted. These would have been the kind of roads Yugo would enjoy in the warmer seasons on his motorbike if he didn't have a particular destination to reach. He'd love to feel a summer breeze against his face as he powered around all the twists and turns that were laid out ahead of him. In this situation, it was a bit of a palaver with having to be extremely careful on every icy bend, though the Jeep seemed to be able to handle what they threw at it.

"Take the next turning on the left," Alice instructed, glancing between her directions and the road before her. He did as commanded and the Jeep turned onto a narrower road, which began to ascend up into the rocky hills. Snow-dusted trees flanked tightly around either side of the car as the density of the woodland area amassed in quick succession. The Jeep grunted as it changed gears, but powered on uninhibited by the seasonal impediments.

With the town far behind them, they were very much in more isolated rural countryside. Through gaps in the winter bare trees, they could see vast pastures of land in the distance. There was so much farmland to behold, quite a difference from their usual scenery in the big city. It was strange for them to see long lines of paddy fields, many covered in thick layers of snow.

Alice pulled back the cover of the closed sunroof and stared up through the slightly frosted glass at the white tree tops racing by, settling back into her seat. "It's really quite something. You don't see anything like this back home. It's a whole other world, don't you think?"

Yugo smiled. "I think I'm starting to understand why Gado thought it was a good vacation spot. Seems like it might be the kind of place you can just leave everything you know behind and just chill out. But at least it isn't too far away from civilisation. You saw that town not too far back? At least we're not going to be too isolated."

Alice nodded, listening attentively. "It'll be great to eat in some really traditional places. But I don't mind cooking when nobody wants to go out." A small frown thoughtfully marred her brow. "Though, I hope we packed enough."

"I'm pretty sure we brought too much! But you never know. It depends how hungry we get."

Uriko suddenly peeked around her elder sister's seat, having temporarily put down her game. She pulled one of her headphone away, so she could hear beyond the pop music beating in her ear. "How long until we get there?"

Alice glanced back. "It shouldn't be too long now." She caught Yugo's eye, hoping for some reassurance on the matter. "Should it?"

"No more than ten minutes," he guessed. "It's only a straight drive up from now on, right?"

Alice checked her directions again. "Yes, pretty much."

"Great!" Uriko chirped as she settled back into her seat. "My legs are getting sleepy!" Popping her headphone back down, she went back to playing her game.

"I wonder if everyone is there already," Alice pondered.

"We're right on schedule," Yugo said, checking the dashboard clock: it was quarter to one. They had agreed on a one o'clock arrival.

"I hope we're not the last ones there..."

"So... like being last in a race?" A big grin slowly crossed his face.

"Oh no, it's nothing like that!" She had to chuckle at his goofy expression.

"If you think about it, even if we are the last ones there, it means we won't have to wait out in the cold for anyone else. And we're not late, so, nobody can complain anyway!"

"True, I just don't like to think I've kept anyone waiting."

He shook his head, the grin settling into a soft smile. It was always like Alice to worry about everyone else, especially over such little things. It was one of the reasons why he loved her so much. And he was hoping that at some point during this whole vacation he could show her just how much she means to him.

Keep your thoughts on the road, my friend. Save the dirty stuff for later.

With the Jeep gobbling up the distance in no time at all, they soon found themselves at the turning, which broke off onto a solid mud track. Their vehicle bobbed about a little as it trundled over the rough ground, quickly covering the short distance up to a huge oak gate imbedded between two large stone walls. There was a large, two-posted sign erected to the right – a little weathered, but still clearly reading 'Kinoshita Cabins' with the slogan: 'The Heart of Hokkaido'.

"We made it!" Uriko whooped from the backseat, almost startling the other occupants in the Jeep. Her music and game were long since forgotten.

"So, I guess we've just got to open the gate?" Yugo deduced, as there wasn't any other instructions posted about.

"Kenji, can you pass me my coat?" Alice called back. Kenji set aside his book, leaning over the back of his seat to grab her fleece-lined garment from where it rested atop their luggage and passed it over to her. She thanked him as she took it, slipping it on as she opened the car door. Her boots made a satisfying crunch underfoot, and surprisingly sunk up to her ankles. Tossing the door closed, she practically had to bounce with each step to move towards the gate where she found reprieve in the imprinted channels where other car tires had flatten both snow and frosted earth.

Yugo hid a smile at her motions. "Always so rabbit-like." He looked back in the rear-view mirror to see Kenji slightly smirk at his comment. Uriko rolled her eyes and poked him in the arm.

Outside, Alice unlatched the gate and with a heave, pushed the heavy barrier wide open, holding it aside with her back so Yugo could drive the Jeep through. He drove passed saluting her, and stopped a little further up the track to wait for her as she closed and latched the gate. The snow wasn't quite so deep inside, already pulverised by many footfalls and tire tracks, so it wasn't quite such a task to get back to the Jeep.

She hopped back in, quickly closing the door behind her. She rubbed her hands together furiously to fight off the biting chill. "BRR! So cold!"

Uriko glanced out the window at their wooded surroundings. It had been a long time since she'd seen such a heavily forested area. She was so used to seeing a skyline of tall buildings. It was a nice change to take in clusters of tall trees, even if most of them were bare and gnarly looking. But there was the odd one with winter blooms, their little pink buds peeking out from under a frosting of snow.

"I can't wait to see what the cabins are like!" She said with a squeak of excitement.

As they drove a little further up the track, they noticed a small hut situated to their left, which was clearly signposted as a reception building. Upon hearing their Jeep approach, a tiny grey-haired woman, decked out in the thickest, longest coat, pottered out in her furry boots and waved a summoning hand at them. Yugo slowed the car to a stop beside her, rolling down Alice's window. Through almost half inch thick lenses, the woman squinted between them. "You have a reservation?" She asked with a slightly croaky voice.

"We're part of Alan Gado's group," Yugo told her.

"Ah, yes," she gruffly acknowledged, "he is already here and waiting. You're in cabins seven and eight. Please follow the signs." And with that, the woman dug her hands into her pockets and retreated back into the warmth of her hut, hardly wanting to spend another second making idle chit-chat.

Alice rolled the window back up. "That... wasn't Kinoshita was it?" She questioned dubiously.

Yugo snorted, grinning from ear to ear. "No, Kinoshita is a guy. Besides, she didn't much look like a retired mercenary."

"You never know," Kenji said from the back, nose already back in his book.

"I bet she has some super secret killer moves!" Uriko joked, making karate chop motions for effect.

Leaving the little woman and her hut behind, they drove up the ascending track to an interaction with two signs. They indicated that cabins eleven to twenty were directly up the hill, while cabins one to ten was down a sharp right turn. Yugo cranked the wheel around and turned onto the frozen mud path, which caused the car to vibrate and thrum with each rock and bump they hit. The road was fenced off by meagre wiring posted along the way, the only protection from the deep drop on the other side. It was definitely a place not to drive recklessly.

It wasn't long before they came to another intersection, this time indicating cabins one to six were down a hill drive and seven to ten were straight on.

"Almost there," Yugo said, glad to be on the final approach. He was starting to get a little bit tired of driving, especially when it was so cold.

Thankfully, it wasn't much further before the first of the two cabins came into sight, followed by the second, which was only a short distance further along. They were built from gorgeous golden-brown timbers, constructed predominantly in a triangular shape. The dark roofing, layered with snow, perfectly offset the lightly stained wood walls. The large windows glistened with crystal clarity in the winter sunlight, with dark ornate wood shutters flanking each side. Both cabins had a sturdy side canopy erected on concrete struts, with spaces enough for two cars to part in each. At the closest cabin, a sleek, black sports car was already occupying one of the spaces. A tall, muscular figure with spiky pale-blonde hair was offloading a horde of bags from its trunk. They easily identified the person as Gado. Not far from him, sat on a bench near the roadside, was his close companion, Jenny Burtory. The sultry woman gestured a greeting as their Jeep came close. Yugo gave a honk in response, which drew Gado's attention and he temporarily abandoned his task to welcome his companions' arrival.

"Well, at least we aren't the last here," Alice said, somewhat relieved when she only found the two in attendance.

Yugo pulled in and parked the Jeep next to Gado's car. He'd barely turned off the engine before he was out and crushing the older man in hug. They slapped each others' backs, as was usual their usual vigorous greeting.

"Good to see you made it safely," Gado welcomed, parting the hug so he could move over to draw Alice in for a much gentler embrace.

"Those were some crazy roads," Yugo said. "It was a good thing the Jeep could handle the iciest parts, otherwise we'd have been in real trouble!"

"It did seem like most of the roads were built in zigzag patterns," Alice input, parting the hug. "But the scenery along the way was breathtaking."

"Indeed," Gado agreed. He outstretched his hand to an approaching Kenji, who accepted it with a firm handshake. "Well, look at you, kiddo. You're growing up fast. You'll be taller than Yugo before you know it!"

The wolf Zoanthrope scoffed. "Fat chance!"

"It's good to see you, Gado," Kenji said, ignoring his brother.

"It's all so different," Alice said, relaying her delight at their surroundings. "It's just so wonderful to step away from all the urban chaos and embrace nature when it's so beautiful."

"It's really nice, but I hope we can get a signal out here," Uriko said, lifting her phone up skyward. "I promised to keep in touch with Mama." She began to wander around, in hopes of getting at least one precious bar of signal.

Jenny strolled over to join the group, her long fur-trimmed coat swaying with seductiveness with each step. Yugo found himself a little surprised by her glamorous winter attire, more so because he'd never seen her wear so many clothes before.

"Oh, Jenny!" Alice gushed, approaching her with a sparkle of envy in her eye. "Your coat is gorgeous!"

"It's couture," she informed her proudly.

Uriko had just wandered back in their direction when she heard Jenny's response. "Cou-ture..." The teenager slowly lingered on each syllable thoughtfully, wondering what the word actually meant. Though, if anything, it sounded expensive.

"Who else is coming?" Yugo asked Gado, who'd gone back to lugging suitcases.

"Shina should be along soon. She rang not too long ago to reconfirm directions. She should be on schedule, despite having to make a couple of detours for the others."

"Others...?" The sound of another horn indicated that his question would soon be answered by itself. A large SUV quickly pulled up across the way by the side of the road. The windows were tinted dark which made it hard to make out who was inside.

"Ah, speak of the devil," Jenny said, watching as Shina jumped out of the driver's side.

The French woman almost looked peculiar with a thick fleece hat pulled down low atop her head, making her blonde spikes point downward in a messy cluster. "Jeez, Dad! You couldn't choose a colder place!"

"I did warn you," he shouted over without looking up, forgoing the greetings, which was usually the case between them. Despite a strong father-daughter bond, they kept any familial affection to the absolute minimum.

"I thought, 'Okay, a bit chilly!'. But I didn't realise we were shipping out to the Arctic!"

"Tut, tut!" Jenny voice smoothly. "I thought a girl of your mercenary experience would have barely batted an eyelid at such environments? I didn't think you'd be so ill prepared!"

Shina gave her an empty glare. "Oh look, I found the source of the cold. How about closing your legs so the rest of us can thaw out..."

Gado gritted his teeth, sighing to himself. Why was it that he never prepared himself for when these two came face to face? It was always a bad mix to have them together. Jenny knew how to push his daughter's buttons, and Shina was like a verbal chainsaw, always going for the gullet. He stopped what he was doing, prepared to say something to stop the situation escalating further, but to his surprise, a new voice took care of it for him.

"Jeanne, please. Can we not forego the arguing for another time? We have only just arrived." Stepping out from the front passenger side of the SUV was none other than the Prince of Zoanthropes himself, Cronos Orma, decked out in the thickest winter attire known to man. He was, after all, from a country that didn't experience such weather at all.

Yugo was surprised to see him, having not even considered him an option. But the Prince was, after all, Shina's childhood friend. He would have certainly been top of the list if Gado had asked her to choose someone to bring along as well.

"His highness is right, Jeanne," another voice said, revealed seconds later to belong to Jin Long, who slowly climbed out from the backseat from behind Shina.

"I wish you guys would quit calling me Jeanne..." She grumbled.

Alice came scampering over to their car, bowing to Cronos. "It's so wonderful to see you again. We didn't realise you were coming!"

He smiled. "It was all very last minute." He took her mitten-clad hand and kissed it delicately. "And it is a pleasure to see you again as well."

"You... don't seem to have a bodyguard?" She noted, finding it strange for him not to be flanked by hordes of security, particularly the colossal Ganesha.

"I'm his bodyguard," Shina said, moving around the car. Her expression and tone were very serious.

Alice gaped in response. "Wha-"

"It is a long story," Cronos told her. "I will tell you later when we are settled in."

The back door next to Alice suddenly opened, startling her, having not realised someone else was still in the car. The figure who stepped out surprised her above all others in the arriving group, a feeling shared by Yugo and their siblings. From under a hood, silver hair brushed pale cheeks as they moved. When the individual turned their head, stark blue eyes met those of the rabbit Zoanthrope with calm recognition.

"Xion..." Alice's breath hitched as she spoke his name. The last they'd heard he'd been transferred to a psychiatric unit after he'd recovering from severe injuries in hospital. His wounding had come as a result of his involvement in the incident with the dragon almost a year earlier. He had been freed from the Unborn's control, but the damage left behind was just another addition to the deep psychological wounds that had been amassing in the last few years. Despite the things he'd done while being manipulated by unnatural forces, Alice was still glad to see him. She had worried greatly about him and his fragile psyche.

"It's a tranquil place," he merely said, glancing around them. "Or, it was..." He cast a brief look towards Shina before dismissing her again.

The leopard Zoanthrope huffed. "Don't you start giving me grief, or you'll be walking home."

Alice touched Xion's arm softly. "It's really good to see you. Are you well?"

He seemed a little surprised by her concern, but offered her a small smile. "Yes. For the first time in a long time."

Yugo glanced between the two from afar. He bristled somewhat as he watched the exchange between the two, but shook off any negativity that brewed in his gut, knowing that this was Alice all over; always worried for others, readily there to care and offer comfort. This was merely another example of what a great woman she was. But it was as he was staring at Xion that he remembered something important, the thought hitting his brain like a freight train.

"Aww, shit," he muttered, which Kenji's sharp ears caught. His brother sidled over with quiet steps.

"What's wrong?"

Yugo had covered his faces with his hands. "I just remembered who else I invited."

Kenji opened his mouth, and then suddenly closed it, remembering as well. He just made a silent 'oh'.

Gado had heard their exchange and had stopped what he was doing.

"Who did you invite?" The older man asked.

"Guess."

Though he didn't have to, as with perfect timing, a small red hatchback appeared, pulling over onto the snowy grass not too far behind the SUV. Yugo slowly pulled his hands away from his face, an awkward expression quickly turning to one of surprise as his eyes drifted from Nagi in the car's driving seat to her companion next to her. Shared looks between the guests seemed to indicate that nearly everyone was taken aback by the unexpected guest.

Nagi stepped out of the car, giving a salute over towards Yugo and Gado, followed from the other side by ShenLong, who ignored the disbelieving stares at leaned against the car.

"Quite the lawn party," the clone tiger said. "Mind if we join?" His eyes shifted to rest on Long, whose expression had become somewhat stiff. They may have gotten over the worst hurdles of their animosity towards each other, but they were still very far from any sort of viable kinship.

Yugo put aside his awkwardness and strode across to greet Nagi properly, doing his utmost to ignore ShenLong. There had been word going around that the tiger and spurious had been associating, even insinuations of something more, but he hadn't really thought much into it, really only because she'd never actually spoken about it. But seeing them together now had cemented that there was clearly something going on. But that was the least of his worries; right now, he was trying to get to her before she noticed Xion, in the hopes he could somehow verbally soften the blow of his presence.

Of course, his plan was quickly kyboshed, when she caught sight of Xion just as he turned fully around to take in her arrival. Her 'hello' was left sitting on her lips as she locked eyes with him passed Yugo's shoulder. She instantly froze on the spot.

Uriko was about to shout out an ear-splitting welcome, though was stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder. She turned to glance at a very serious Kenji, who just shook his head, giving her a meaningful glance that now was probably not the time for exuberant greetings. He could tell that things were about to turn sour very quickly. And he didn't envy Yugo in the last for being caught in the middle of this one.

Nagi's brown eyes were dark and unreadable. Yugo wanted to say something but quickly lost the words, instead, he shifted uncomfortably, looking back to Alice for some sign of support. She just looked equally awkward about the whole thing. They'd both been a part of that difficult conversation in Yugo's office, when they'd called Nagi in one evening not long after the dragon incident. They didn't know how she would react to being told that Xion was still alive. It had been Nagi, after all, who'd stabbed him through the chest while in her 'Spurious' form, taking out her vengeance on him for her altered condition. Surprisingly, her reaction to the news had been calm, even if her emotions were conflicted. On one hand, she'd been glad that she hadn't actually killed him, not wanting that blood lingering on her conscience, but on the other, she was upset because the man who'd changed her life and who'd murdered and maimed many others had undeservingly survived. Yugo had regretfully reassured her that his being transferred to a secure psychiatric unit and it would probably be the last she'd have to see of him. Clearly, he'd been very wrong.

"What's he doing here?" She said; her voice was even though clearly displeased.

"Well, obviously the same as us," ShenLong interjected before anyone else, hardly concerned about the likes of Xion. He was completely indifferent to the man's very existence. Casually he went around the back of the car to open the trunk, wanting to start the unloading process, but paused when he saw Nagi staring hard at him. "What?"

"Don't bother." She said sternly. "I'm not staying if he's here." She went to open the driver's door again, though Yugo quickly stopped her.

"Come on. Don't be like that," he pleaded, earning him the hard stare instead. With a sigh, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I didn't know he was going to be here either. Hell, I didn't know you were inviting ShenLong."

Nagi huffed, hand hesitating on the door handle. She lowered her voice, ignoring the man who'd ignited her ire, who just simply stood giving her a blank stare across the distance. "You know damn well what he did to me and all the shit he did to other people... How can you possibly think I'd want to spend two weeks in the middle of nowhere breathing the same air as him?"

ShenLong had moved around the side of the car, putting his back against the door so she couldn't even an attempt to open it. "Just ignore him. It doesn't have to be a big deal!"

Nagi gave her partner the deathliest glare, as if he'd just slapped her across the face, though ShenLong remained unphased. She pulled the handle determinedly, but he had indeed firmly blocked her ability to open the door.

The tiger Zoanthrope leant forward, voice low and firm. "Listen here, woman. If you think we're just going to turn around and go home after all the travelling we just did to get here, you've got another thing coming." His eyes had narrowed somewhat. "I'm not exactly happy about some people who're here," he said, making eyes towards Long, who simply folded his arms impassively. "But I'm not going to kick up a hissy fit over it. And you know what? We don't have to be around them." She looked away from him, silently seething, though he drew her eyes to him again when he took hold of her chin, turning her face back to him. "Forget he exists. He doesn't have to be anything more than a walking bad memory, right? Don't waste a vacation over him."

Nagi wanted to argue more, but she stopped when his thumb stroked her cheek tenderly. She let out a sigh, closing her eyes for a moment to focus on the circular motion he made on her skin. She tried to push all the negativity out of her, but couldn't quite completely quell the burning anger in the pit of her stomach. She'd promised herself that if she was ever put in this situation that she'd let a cooler head prevail and not let her fury take over; but then again, she'd also told herself to simply walk away if she came face to face with him, but in the case, that wasn't going to be possible. At the end of the day, she didn't want to lose out on her vacation because of one man. Finally calmed down enough to think more rationally, she turned her eyes on Yugo, who could only shrug apologetically.

Jenny, viewing events unfold from afar, leaned in towards Gado. "Just a prelude to the rest of the vacation, I'm afraid."

Gado groaned with annoyance to himself. She was probably right. He had to count backwards from ten to keep his composure. He prayed to whatever God was in the sky that they could all at least act like responsible adults for the rest of this vacation.

I think you're being too hopeful there, I'm afraid... a more rationale part of his brain informed him.

Having seemingly settled down, Nagi moved away from her two companions, stepping a few paces towards Xion before stopping, wanting to still keep plenty of distance between them. She stared at him, though he was unphased by her indignation, offering his own stare, though, unlike her own eyes, his were void of any emotion.

"I thought you were in an institution?" She sniped.

"Then your information is clearly outdated," he simply stated.

"He was deemed in a fit state for release," Long interposed calmly. "So he is staying with me now."

Nagi snapped her gaze onto the Chinese man. "What the hell are you giving him refuge for?"

"I don't have to justify my decision to you," he said smoothly. He wasn't purposefully being difficult, but he certainly felt that his choices needed no explanation to someone who probably didn't want to understand anyway.

She huffed. "You choose to keep some pretty poor company, Mr Jin."

"I could say the same for you." The unruffled barb was clearly aimed at ShenLong, who said nothing, for once keeping himself in check seeing as his young girlfriend was already riled enough for the both of them.

Nagi turned her back on both of them, focusing instead on Yugo, who was shifting between his feet awkwardly, almost jumping when he noticed that he was back under her scrutiny. He braced himself, just in case. "I'm not sharing a cabin with them," she said with the most absolute conviction.

Yugo gaped, and almost blew out a sigh of relief, expecting something more – not that he was letting his guard down. She was bound to tear into him at some point, even though it wasn't his fault. He eyed Gado across the way, who was quietly shaking his head, not really wanting to get involved.

"Really," Jenny voiced, "are we really going to be childish over such matters?"

"I suppose it wasn't really decided beforehand who was staying with who," Alice reasoned.

Gado sighed and stepped up, deciding to take some sort of command over the situation. "Fine, okay, let's just sort it out. Okay, Nagi and ShenLong can stay in the other cabin. Long and Xion can stay in this one," he thumbed towards the cabin they were next to, "with myself and Jenny, and-"

"Can I just say," Shina quickly butt in, "I'd rather not share with you and Jenny if there's a choice."

Her father almost wished he'd brought his gun. "Don't you start..."

"What! If there is one way I'm going to enjoy this vacation, it's going to be as far away from her as possible."

"How unkind!" Jenny exclaimed with mock hurt.

"Fine," Gado relented, "you can stay in the other cabin as well. Cronos, too." The Prince just nodded, not troubled either way – which was probably the safest mindset to have given the situation.

"Aww, that means we have to split up!" Uriko moaned, giving sad eyes to Alice. Gado had to resist the urge to face-palm; he found some soothing comfort from Jenny as she sympathetically stroked his arm.

Alice just smiled softly, approaching her sister to take her hands between her own. "Hey, don't worry. We'll still see each other a lot anyway! It's not going to matter where we sleep. Let's just get unpacked and get this vacation started!" Uriko perked up, understanding her sister's practical reasoning.

"Okay!" The cat-girl agreed.

Gado was glad Alice was there, grateful for her calm demure. "Okay," he said softly. "How about Yugo and Alice stay with us, and Kenji and Uriko stay with the others. And that should be everyone covered. Are there anymore objections?" He said the last words as if challenging someone to even try to moan, but thankfully, nobody did. "Right, shall we get inside and unpack?"


With all the cars appropriately parked, the congregation separated into their groups of six, hauling their masses of luggage inside their luxury cabins.

A hint of pine hit their noses as they stepped inside their beautiful, spacious lodgings. There was not an excess of decorations, which made brought much more attention to intricacy of the architecture, complimented by the minimalism. Inside the main room was an open plan lounge and kitchen space.

The lounge was occupied by plush leather furniture – two couches and a single recliner stationed in front of a long oak coffee table. They were faced around a 50" television mounted high up on the wall above a traditional log fireplace. Surrounding this area was a huge, heavy paisley embroidered curtain mounted on a rail high in the ceiling, which could be pulled around to section off the lounge to make it a little more private and cosy. On the opposite side, the kitchen occupied a corner with a large island bar with numerous polished wood stools surrounding it. To one side was an L shape marble counter against the wall, where one could stand by the sink and stare out the window there and take in the woodland scenery. At the back of the room to the right was a set of stairs that led up to a balcony with an ornate wooden banister; a few paces back from it was a length of glass panelling, in which a door was inset opposite the stairs, leading into one of the bedrooms. Downstairs there were three doors at the back, the one in the middle was a bathroom, and the rooms either side were two more bedrooms.

In the second cabin, Uriko was already bounding about admiring the cabin with unabated glee while Kenji handled their luggage, pulling it to place at the back of the large room out of the way. Shina had put herself in charge of the luggage for herself and Cronos, despite the Prince protesting that he didn't want her doing all the hard work. Nagi and ShenLong followed up the rear, the former taking in the cabin with awe despite her grumpy state.

"It's better than my apartment," the Spurious murmured.

ShenLong shrugged. "It's alright." She rolled her eyes at his apathy.

Shina was the first to head up the stairs, taking interest in the room beyond the panelled glass. It was an impressive en-suite bedroom with a queen size bed, beautifully decorated in a red and gold theme. She found a long curtain could be pulled across the glass wall to shut out the view of the open room beyond. She was thoroughly impressed.

"So, what are the bedrooms like downstairs?" Shina called out with curiosity.

To answer her question, Uriko went to peak her head into the room furthest left. She was greeted by a cosy bedroom with the same red and gold theme, though this contained two twin beds – a little wider than the usual standard single, something she admired. Kenji checked in the middle room to find the bright white tiled bathroom with its deep, back-wall tub, free-standing shower and state of the art western toilet. He moved down to the room on the right, to reveal the last bedroom, another room with a queen bed and en-suite bathroom.

"I've found a twin room," Uriko called up.

"What about the other one?" Shina replied.

"It's got a queen size bed," Kenji confirmed.

Shina moved to stand at the top of the stairs, leaning on the corner banister. "Ah..." This was going to be awkward. "It's a queen bed upstairs as well." She pondered briefly, staring at Cronos, who seemed like he was just waiting for someone to tell him what to do. "Okay, I guess me and Cronos will take the room up here."

ShenLong smirked. "Now isn't that scandalous..."

Shina's cheeks flushed, though she quickly switched her emotions to irritation. "Get your head out of the gutter. Anyway, I think it's better if the kids take the twin room." She glanced at Cronos. "You don't mind, do you? I mean, it's just sharing a bed. You couldn't get much safer then with your bodyguard laid right next to you."

Cronos smiled, pushing aside any uncertainty involved with the situation. "I am fine with it, just as long as you feel comfortable with the arrangement?"

"Let's just call it catching up on all the sleepovers we missed as kids," she said with a wink, and then wished she'd not said something that could insinuate so much more. She ignored ShenLong, just in case he was making any weird faces at her.

"Well, I guess the other queen is ours," Nagi said, moving her luggage towards the right-hand room, shortly followed by ShenLong.

"Well, I'm choosing my bed first!" Uriko said, gallivanting into their shared room. Kenji didn't mind, not that he had a choice in the matter anyway.


A short while later in the first cabin, the group had finally finished unpacking. The bedrooms had been decided without fuss, with Gado and Jenny taking the top room, Yugo and Alice in the second queen, and Long and Xion in the twin. Now that they were settled in, they quickly began to relax into their cosy surroundings.

Alice boiled a kettle of water on the stove, lining up some cups to prepare tea and coffee, while the rest of the group were occupying the seats in the lounge, enjoying a moment of peace. Gado reclined on one of the couches, breezing through a thick, leather bound welcome guide that had been left out on the coffee table.

"Anything exciting?" Jenny asked, her fingers playing with the hair on the back of her beau's neck.

Gado flicked another laminated page, leaning into her touch. "It's mostly a guide to the cabin and how to operate certain things. It mentions that the central heating system is pre-set and can't be adjusted."

Yugo glanced up from checking his phone for messages. "Why's that?"

"Kinoshita did mention to me that people tended to just leave the heating on high all day, even when they weren't inside the cabins, which was very costly to his wallet. So he set up a new system, so that it will only turn on when it drops below a certain temperature and then maintains it up to a comfortable temperature before it switches itself off."

"That must save him a ton of money!"

"Exactly."

"How fancy," Jenny punctuated in such a way to sound both intrigued and disinterested at the same time. Yugo rolled his eyes at her, thinking it might be a good solution to their heating bills back at W.O.C. HQ.

"So, Gado," Alice said from over the kitchen island, "are you going to reveal how you managed to be gifted with these wonderful cabins for two weeks?"

He glanced back at her. "I'm afraid I'm swoon to secrecy. On my honour as a soldier, I cannot reveal the details."

"That's code for something shady," Yugo deduced playfully.

Gado snorted. "Would a man of my distinction get involved in such objectionable business?"

"Probably. We blew up the Tyron headquarters, didn't we?"

"Touché."

"I suppose it's in my best interests not to ask anything else," Alice said, curious about the matter, though not so curious to discover the answer if it was something less than legal.

Gado chuckled. "It's simply private business between old comrades. Nothing more." He eyed Yugo particularly as he said this, causing the younger man to crack a grin, as if he didn't quite believe him, but he said nothing more in response.

"Well, whatever you did, it was a very kind gift in return," Long spoke up, clearly grateful. Xion nodded in agreement but added nothing more.

"So," Jenny urged, "what else does the guide say?"

Gado turned another page. "There are instructions for operating the log fire; all the spare fire wood is at the side of the cabin. They have regular deliveries during the winter season, so we won't be without warmth."

"There is something cosy about a log fire," Jenny said, curling up closer to Gado, resting her head on his shoulder. "Don't you think?"

"It does rather set the mood," he said with a grin, brushing his lips against her temple.

Yugo quietly rolled his eyes at their somewhat gooey intimacy, wondering if it was too late to swap into the other cabin. He supposed it could have been worse; she could have been wearing fewer clothes to make the scene even more awkward. He still couldn't get over her being so covered up – this time in a roll neck jumper dress. He wasn't going to say it, but he liked it better when her cleavage wasn't one cough away from bursting free.

With the kettle boiled, Alice prepared the teas and coffees according to everyone's tastes and served them out on a tray. The aromatic scents drifting from the drinks gave the cabin a more homely feel.

"Does it say in the guide about places to go and such?" Alice asked, taking a sip of her own milky tea.

"Yes, in the back," Gado said, showing her as she sat down beside Yugo. She took it and set it on her lap to look it over. "Plenty of places to go, and a fair few recommended eateries as well. I don't think we'll be without things to do."

"Oh, we certainly won't," Jenny purred, stroking his arm.

"Well, don't make a mess while you're doing, uh, whatever you do," Yugo said, reading over Alice's shoulder, trying to ignore the canoodling. "The maid only comes three times a week." Gado knew what he was implying and narrowed his single eye on him, only to receive another grin in response.

"This is good tea, Alice," Long said, aside all the insinuation.

"Oh, I'm glad!"

"Yes, very nice," Xion agreed, and went back to quietly observing his company over sips from his own cup.

"Well, I think I should get a start on some food," Alice said, standing. "I'm sure everyone's hungry."

"Yes, that's a good idea," Gado piped up. "But don't think you have to undertake the task all by yourself. You did just make us drinks after all."

"I don't mind! Is everyone happy with a meaty hot pot? I saw a huge cooking pan in the cupboard so I can make plenty enough for everyone!"

"Ally makes the tastiest hot pot," Yugo vouched. "And we brought plenty of food to throw into it."

Unpredicted, the front door flew open and Uriko bounded in alone. "Knock, knock!" Her loud clamouring almost made the group jump.

Yugo frowned. "You could have actually knocked."

Ignoring him, Uriko bounded over to her sister, who was now stood in the kitchen unbagging the food they'd brought with them. She swung her arms around her shoulders to give her one of her patent hugs. "What you doing?" She asked in a sing-song voice.

"I'm making a start on dinner."

Uriko's eye lit up. "Can I join you guys? I'll help, too!"

"Aren't the others cooking something up over in your cabin?" Yugo asked, almost hinting for her to push off.

She scowled over at him. "They've not even mentioned food!" She sighed dramatically. "I guess we're all left fending for ourselves..." Uriko made a sad face against her sister's shoulder.

"Of course you can join us," Alice said assuredly. "There will be plenty to go around."

"Yay!" Uriko ducked as Yugo threw at cushion at her head. Alice scolded him while her sister hid behind her, sticking out her tongue.

Xion shared a glance with Long, who somewhat smiled in relation to the friendly chaos going on. "You can expect more of this, I can assure you," he told the silver-haired man, who just shrugged apathetically.

Gado glanced over at the cat-girl exuberantly prancing around the kitchen and sunk further into his seat, glad that he didn't have to take any responsibility for the cooking that afternoon. He looked back to Jenny, who was still cuddled up against him.

"I get the feeling this is going to be one hell of a vacation," he murmured to her.

Jenny grinned, closing her eyes against his comfortable warmth. "Oh, I can guarantee it..."


A/N: And so it begins! How will these twelve get along on this two week adventure? Tune in again soon for another part of the vacation saga!