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Chapter 5 - ....And a Move-in (or two)

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" Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!" Bowser continued to bellow.

"Jesus H. Raptor, Daddy! Take a breath before your king-sized butt passes out on the damn floor!" Wendy shouted over him. "I am NOT going to spend the rest of my evening in Aubrey General Hospital today!"

Taking his daughter's demand to heart, the Patriarch of the household quieted down and he finally allowed himself to take a breath.

"Gotta hand it to you, Pops! If I was expected to shout at the top of my lungs since the end of the last real chapter until now, I'd probably be up in heaven with mom before too long! Good thing you have a healthy set of lungs!" Lemmy chuckled. Bowser, however, was not amused by Lemmy's attempt at "humor."

"I don't get what you're talking about, boy, and right now I don't care. Help me think of something!" Bowser shouted.

"Think of what, Dad?" Larry asked.

"Depending on how much time we have left, maybe we can ward him off somehow! Well, um...what's one of those new illnesses going around now...? BIRD FLU, THAT'S IT!" Bowser shouted out desperately. "Roy, you eat more chicken than even I do! Start acting like you got that bird flu, boy!"

"Umm..." Roy shrugged, and then gave out a few halfhearted coughs.

"No, NO! That won't do at all!" Bowser groaned. "I swear, you kids didn't have any trouble trying to fake your way out of going to school back in the day! And yet, when I need you...!"

"Mr. Koopa..." Kamek meekly spoke.

"Another idea, another idea...!" Bowser continued to ponder, then slapped a fist into an open palm. "Yeah! We can shut down all the power to this place! Make it seem like we're not here! It'll be just like when them Jehovah's Witnesses and Survey People try to come around!"

"It's too late for that, sir," Kamek uttered shamefully. "He's already here."

"...'Outside the gate,' here? 'Coming up the driveway', here? Or 'right outside the front door,' here?" Bowser whispered lowly.

"Worse..." Kamek answered.

"BOWSER! Where are ya, ya fat fucker?!" a deep voice bellowed from down the hall.

"Mama, no...!" Bowser sadly whispered up to heaven. Unfortunately, it seemed his prayers would not be answered this time, as two more forms entered the dining room.

For the first that emerged, the family resemblance between Bowser and a grey-colored, scraggly-haired blonde Koopa was immediately apparent. The two were basically built the same way after all. Additionally, the matching red-eyed gaze that they glared at one another with showed equal amounts of disdain.

"Rufus. This is a...surprise," Bowser began.

"Been a while, ain't it, 'sonny-boy?'" the older Koopa replied. "I guess your Papa will have to do without the welcoming hug."

"...What are you even doing here, you fossil?"

"What? Can't a Grandfather stop by and see his grand-chillun once a while? Especially for a big occasion such as this? I heard from your cousin, Gertrude, that the youngest was having his prom date tomorrow, and I didn't want to miss out on that! Especially since a certain someone forgot to invite me to his 50th Birthday Bash," Rufus glared.

"Well, honestly? You always seemed to have a habit of forgetting my birthday. So I figured, why should I bother?" Bowser smiled grimly.

"Not about to give your old man any type of break, huh, Bow-wow? You know I am getting up there in age, and some things just slip my mind beyond my control..."

"Oh, cut the crap, Rufus. Your ass has had trouble 'remembering' my Birthday since I was ten years old. That's some POWERFUL senility, striking some one as early as when they're twenty-seven, now ain't it?"

No more than five minutes could have elapsed, and the two were already resuming their feud. Such was the only result that could be expected when Bowser and his father where within any small distance between one another.

Rufus "Ruthless" Koopa was the name. If everything that Junior had heard whispered amongst his older siblings was true, their Grandfather had done every thing possible to truly earn that moniker. As the one who led the family business before Bowser, Rufus was an utter tyrant. He ruled the Empire with an iron talon, and had no problem treating resources and personnel alike as expendable pieces; burning many bridges his predecessor had made and making so many more enemies. That much said, many within the company were delighted when Rufus retired, allowing Bowser to take over as CEO of Koopa Suites.

Even so, it was for far more personal reasons that Bowser and his father were always at odds. Junior and his siblings knew very little about that subject matter, as Bowser would always chuckle, smile and tell them "Don't worry bout it!" or "Mind your business, see? Just mind your business!" However, one choice time that Junior picked up the house phone a few years ago, when he was thirteen years old, gave him a disturbing glimpse into at least part of the issue. He had come in the middle of a conversation between the two, arguing quite fiercely. He would never know exactly why they were having words, but at the end, he distinctly heard Rufus say:

"Y'know, there's days I really wish I had gotten her to swallow you instead. Would've made my life a whole hell of a lot easier!"

What followed was a very long and very loud stream of expletives from Junior's father, followed by both parties slamming their receivers down hard. It was an event that Junior kept a secret from the others, respecting his father's privacy. But to this day, it was perhaps the only time he had really heard his father become truly ugly with someone.

In any case, of all the things that could have occurred on his Prom weekend, his Grandfather paying a surprise visit was definitely high on the list of undesirables. It only brought with it an additional level of unnecessary drama that would accompany a point in his life that he already wished would fly by as quickly as possible.

"Rufus, c'mon now..." a small, feminine voice squeaked out in the brief silence that ensued from the exchange. "You said that this was going to be an easy-going time..."

From behind the large gray form emerged a small, yellow fox lady, which could be easily identified as one of the Renamon breed. She was dressed in perhaps the too casual attire of a fuschia-colored halter top and jeans, which served little more than to show off her figure; namely her ass. She could not have been any older than Ludwig, which was of no surprise to those who already had a working knowledge of Rufus' taste in women.

In fact, the very sight of seeing what was apparently his father's newest "fling" was enough to make the seething look in Bowser's eyes all the more apparent, before he fixed his face and switched to a more "business-like" attitude.

"This ain't nuthin'," Rufus assured his girlfriend. "My son and I have always been like this, since time forgot."

"...Welcome to our abode...Ms....?" Bowser started to curtsy.

"Oh, just call me Deena," the Renamon smiled sweetly. "I think it's so nice that I finally get to meet some of Rufus' people!"

"Yeah, and speaking of which, how are ya, kids?" Rufus turned to face his multiple grandchildren. "And well, damn! Been longer than I thought! You all have gotten so big! Or at least, most of you!"

"Ha ha," Lemmy rolled his eyes. "You best get all your 'vertically-challenged' jokes out while you can, author-man! It's bad enough I'm just a bit character in a side-story most people won't bother reading! I mean, what are the chances of me getting fanart amongst the Roommates fanbase!?"

"And what's with you two lizzas?" Rufus said, as he ignored Lemmy's insane musing and turned to Roy and Morton. "Wearing dem silly 'roo-rag' things at the dinner table?"

"First of all, it's 'du-rag', Granddad. And for the last time..." Roy began.

"These are our natural HEAD COLORS!" Morton concluded.

"This is what your grandfather is really like, Jr...?" Billy whispered to Junior.

"...Like it or lump it," Junior gave out a half-hearted chuckle, as he saw as Rufus went on to practically insult his kin right on down the line. And soon enough, it was soon his turn.

"Hello, Grandfather," Junior smiled as brightly as he could.

"My, my, my," Rufus began to smirk. "Ain't you just the spittin' image of your daddy, eh? Well, almost, any way. After all, you definitely ain't the lil fatass he was at your age!"

Junior just continued to smile, although a bit more nervously, since being put on the spot. He glanced at his siblings, his father, whose displeasure was even more evident with a vein pulsating on his forehead... anybody who could serve to ward off this unwanted bit of attention from himself.

He would get that distraction, soon enough. For while he was at the center of attention, Jimmy was still finishing his dinner. A particularly resilient piece of steak was drowning in steak sauce, just as he liked it. However, on the same stroke, it made it very slippery on his plate of fine china, and it refused to stay in place for him to cut with his fork. Getting frustrated with this process, Jimmy eventually put more force than was necessary to try and cut the piece of meat, and a large chunk soon went careening into the air...and landing in the middle of Rufus' face.

Indeed, now all eyes were on the blushing, aqua-marine dragon who then offered up a cute, nervous smile.

"Heh heh heh...sorry, mister!" Jimmy apologized. However, Grandpa Rufus was quick to sport a nasty look on his face, and his eyes bore down on the small Dracomon sitting at the table.

"Ha ha, HELL! You did that on purpose, didn't ya? Ya lil fuckin' RICE PICKER!"

"Excuse me, sir...?" Hanbei's firm, yet oddly neutral voice came from another side of the table. He had been silent and away from the group since Bowser's father arrived, but chose to make his presence known now in defense of one of his young charges. Rufus' face went from one of anger to one of apparent shock, before resuming his furious deposition.

"You...it just HAD to be one of YOU, didn't it?" he spat angrily in the periwinkle turtle's direction.

"I am not exactly pleased to be in your presence either, dear sir. But that is not the reason why I have broken my silence," Hanbei began. "Unless my ears deceived me, I believe my young friend did apologize to you for his mishap. And he did not mean you any harm in the first place. Of this, I can assure you."

"Exactly, Rufus!" Bowser chimed in. "In fact, I think you owe Jimmy an apology for how YOU acted towards him!"

"Pft! Well, fine! I guess I'm a big enough man to know when I am wrong! Please, allow me to apologize in a way our Asian friends here can understand!"

Rufus squinted his eyes.

"ME SO SOLLY! ME SO SOLLY!!"

Billy and Jimmy were, to say the least, very confused and angered by this old man that was going out of his way to insult them. However, Hanbei urged them to stay quiet.

"Remember, boys, you need only remember what I and Gai-sensei have been trying to teach you for this last year," their mentor calmly stated.

"Oh? Exactly what kind of fortune cookie bullshit have you been feeding them anyway, Jappy?" Rufus sneered at Hanbei.

"If you must know, dear sir? 'The wise man embraces silence; the fool, however, can be heard miles away.' And judging by the way you made your own arrival apparent..."

"Just what are you trying to say, you blue gook?!" Rufus roared at him. Hanbei, however, only answered him with silence, and a completely straight face. "Smug, narrowed-eyed sumbitch...!"

"I would rather be that, than a man who places no value in his own word. One who turned his back on his own friend...!"

"You mad?" Rufus jeered. "You not the kind that believes in letting the past go, huh?"

Even though he, like most others at the table, had no idea what truly was going on, Junior sensed that this was going southward with the full force of a nose diving plane. Thankfully, he saw that Roy was already creeping slowly back in position towards his best friend. Now, it was just a matter of proper timing...

"Well, it's just as well! Cuz that's all you got now ain't it? The past! Too bad, too! If that Lincoln had only made it a 'two-for-one special' that day, you'd be history too!"

In response to that, Hanbei proceeded to blink once....twice....and then, he allowed a small smile to creep on his face.

"Awwwwww, shit!" Junior thought to himself. He could have handled Hanbei having almost any other type of emotional reaction registered on his face. But that smile, and what exactly it entailed, caused a chill to run down Junior's spine, all the way to tip of his tail.

"Hey! You'd better not piss off Hanbei, old man!" Jimmy warned.

"Yeah, ya might end up like that OTHER guy-!" Billy started.

"Silence, boys..." Hanbei spoke calmly, interrupting his wards from speaking any further. "Now, dear sir. If you really have a problem with me, or my family...I kindly ask that you air out such grievances..."

"AW, SNAP!" Roy shouted out, as his cup of orange soda "spilled" into Hanbei's lap. "I'm really, REALLY sorry, man! If we hurry to the bathroom, that stuff should get right out! C'mon!"

"Right! And I know the bathroom that still has that cleaner in it, too!" Junior chimed in, and took that as an opportunity to excuse himself from the table, and be right on his big brother's heels. Various others soon followed suit, each getting up from the table and making themselves scarce, until eventually, it was just Bowser, Rufus, and his date in the room.

Junior hoped that another crisis would not break out when his father and grandfather were left alone. But he believed he would serve better nipping another crisis in the bud with Roy.

Moments later, the trio, plus the Draco twins, were in a bathroom that was quite a ways away from the dining room. Depending on how one chose to look at it, the fact that Roy's orange soda only hit Hanbei's jacket of his Nehru ensemble meant that his shirt and pants were safe. Of course, the pale blue turtle in question was not very pleased at this present outcome either.

"I hope that gets out..." Hanbei warned in his eerily calm voice, as Roy attempted to clean his friend's jacket.

"Don't you worry, Bei-Bei. A lil bit of pre-treating 'n the laundry room guys can handle the rest!" Roy smiled amiably.

"Furthermore, I know your heart was in the right place, Roy-dai, but I did not request you to 'intercede' on my behalf. I can take care of myself."

"I know damn well ya can. Jus' lookin' out for ya, like ya always did for me. I didn't want ya to possibly do sumthin' ya may end up regretting, later..."

"In what way?" Hanbei queried. To that, elder and younger Koopa brother exchanged glances briefly.

"....Archie," Roy and Junior said together.

"Hm," Hanbei admitted with a small huff of amusement. "And the old fool said I supposedly had problems letting things go..."

"Who's Archie?" Billy asked.

"Long story, guys," Junior chuckled. "If he hasn't told you by now, maybe he'll do so at another time."

While Junior was all smiles for the sake of the boys, thinking about what happened that day still shook him to his very core. For Hanbei to give the image of the consummate "nice guy" to Roy, Junior and other members of his immediate circle, there was a darker side to the light-blue turtle's personality. And no clearer was it made then on one day, when Junior was seven years of age.

**********

By this point in time, Roy and Hanbei may have only been mere "Freshman" for the sake of grade level parlance. But the truth was, the duo had done more to effectively establish themselves as part of the upper echelon of the school's populace, with work starting from when the two of them were in 6th grade. Following his "rebirth," Roy was no longer a bully who picked on those who were smaller than him. Instead, he had adopted a new identity for himself as the "Anti-Bully", one who picked on other bullies within the school. In due time, and with Hanbei's help, the "wedgie" and other means of torturing fellow students went extinct on the school grounds. And Junior himself enjoyed a status of being "untouchable", due to him being the favorite little brother of Roy Koopa. On the River Hill campus grounds, no one in their right mind dared to mess with Junior, even if he did decide to stroll around the Middle and High School areas.

However, Junior's self-proclaimed impunity didn't quite live up to the illusion he made for himself. For it was when he and a couple of his friends were trying to ride bikes a bit away from the school, after class, that he was hit with cruel reality. A reality, that came in the form of a 6' 2", fifteen year old Arcanine and his posse. From where they came from, they had no reason to care whose brother he was. As far as they were concerned, Junior was just another "runt" that could be shoved to the ground, twirled around helplessly on his shell and get his bike stolen.

During his childhood, Junior would often curse his diminutive stature as a thing that made him weak, and unable to fight back. Until that time when he could fight his own battles fairly, he saw his towering older brother as a model, a symbol of strength, and just the right guy that could get back that which was rightfully his.

It didn't take long for Roy, Hanbei and their little group to ready themselves. Hanbei already knew where Archie and his gang were hiding: at a dilapidated and abandoned gas station that was a mile or so away from the newer developments that River Hill neighbored. And every member of Roy's little band was spoiling for a fight of some sort. For as the years went by, others would be drawn by Roy's charisma and his overall cause to make life better for everyone on campus. Junior remembered the majority of those who would stay with Roy and Hanbei up until their graduation, including Dylan, a Croconaw, Reno, a Nidoking, Warby, an Arbok and Gonzo, a Gomamon.

It was never his intent to see Junior doing any fighting that day, but Roy often made sure that his little brother came along on these little misadventures as well, because he believed that "it would be good for him." Whatever he may have thought that his brother meant by that at the time, Junior would not exactly turn down a free opportunity to see his brother in action.

And action there definitely was. No sooner had Dylan taken the liberty to loudly announce their group's presence, then Archie's gang sprung up and was ready to defend their turf. At the outset it may have looked bad, as Roy's company was outnumbered almost two-to-one. But on the other hand, Archie's numbers couldn't hope to account for Hanbei and Roy's presence. And that much became apparent as soon as Roy gave the rallying cry to his "troops."

"YEEAAAAAAH! LET'S DO THIS! 9-PA PACK, ATTACK!" he bellowed.

Even at the age of fifteen, Roy loomed over almost everybody else at 6' 4", and he had built up a reputation of being quite the scrapper from since he was even younger than that. By the time he and Hanbei became friends, his fighting ability became all the more potent, thanks to training in the art of Brazilian Jiujitsu. That day, he could take most hits and just keep plowing through the opposition, some times even picking people up and throwing them into each other, laughing all the while. He was truly in his element at times like this.

While Hanbei was much smaller and by several strokes less intimidating than his larger friend, in many respects he was much more of a force to be reckoned with in a street fight. He had been trained in martial arts since he was three years of age and that experience showed forth especially that day. Beyond his expertise, Hanbei's overall fighting style differed highly from Roy's, based on the pale blue turtle's propensity to be much more brutal. Where as Roy often held back, content on just making sure that people "got his point" through slugging it out, Hanbei had few qualms with utterly dismantling his opposition.

During that fight, three members of Archie's gang tried to take down the wartortle. A charmeleon wielding a small section of a pipe was incapacitated in an instant via a blow to the temple before he even got a chance to swing his weapon. Soon after, a pair consisting of lion and a wolf ended up getting "rewarded"with worse. The lion received a broken arm after a whiffed punch meant for the sea turtle's head. Meanwhile, his lupine friend was thrown to the ground, where the wartortle stomped on his head, then kicked it, until he was rendered unconscious. From where Junior was, hiding a safe distance away, he wasn't able to monitor the wartortle's performance the entire time, but wouldn't be surprised if Hanbei didn't get hit once the entire duration of the fight. At the very least, Hanbei was definitely the least vocal of the young men fighting that day.

The very opposite could be said for Roy, as he was slugging it out with Archie. By the time the pink-domed koopa had reached his target, Archie already had a knife out and attempted to take advantage of Roy's larger stature as a target to exploit. However, Roy once again demonstrated a level of agility that would not be expected from someone who had his build, as he effortlessly evaded Archie's first few slashes. Roy then counter-attacked by grabbing his opponent's wrist and twisted gradually, until Archie let go of the weapon and was forced into a double wristlock with the koopa. As Archie's strength started to wane from the struggle, his grimace only gave Roy's grin more reason to widen. Then, Roy stomped hard on the arcanine's foot. The orange-colored dog had barely enough time to open his mouth to yelp in pain, before Roy's right hook was already there, connecting with a force that likened itself to a freight train. Even though Junior hated Archie for the suffering he forced upon him, the little koopa couldn't help but wince a bit as he watched the canine reel from his brother's harsh blow.

And then, just as abruptly as the altercation started, it was over. Archie, like so many others, had fallen to Roy's superior ability. Most of Archie's dudes, who were battered, bruised and possibly rendered out cold, had fled the scene, leaving their once proud leader to deal with Roy, alone. Being present for the "interrogation" of such things was usually a fun thing for Junior to see. After a concise victory, Roy would get the guy to usually fess up to their wrong-doing, apologize and get them to stop being a menace. But on that day occurred something that neither older or younger Koopa brother could expect. And it all started with Archie being utterly defiant, even though he was the loser...

"...Look dawg, I dun see what's so HARD about dis!" Roy smirked as he looked at his fallen adversary. "Me 'n my boys came out all dis damn way to get my lil bro's bike back! We ain't about to go back empty-handed, either!"

"Yeah!" Junior replied, mimicking his brother's "tough guy" tone as best as he could.

"And y'know what?! Fuck ya both! Y'all lizzas have more than enuff Benjamins! Why don't ya bunch of Richie Rich bitches go ask your Daddy to get ya a new one?" the Arcanine spat back.

Roy's patience quickly started to dwindle, and he made that clear by giving the fiery-colored canine a swift kick to his right floating rib. Archie to howled in pain and rolled along the ground in his additional agony.

"See? Ya dumb ass is making dis harder for ya than it needs ta be!" Roy grinned menacingly. "Despite my rep, I ain't a guy without reason! Da bike, an apology and a promise to stop snatching things that dun belong to ya, will insure that ya won't ever be seein' me 'n my crew ever again! It's just dat simple!"

"Well, too bad, so sad for you, muthafucka! Cuz you too late!" Archie sneered back at Roy. "I already sold dat shit to some chopper for a lil capital!"

" WHAT YOU SAY, FURBALL?!" Roy bellowed angrily. The pink-domed Koopa took a quick look at his little brother, and the tears that were already brewing in Junior's eyes. But before Roy could allow his anger to take a hold, it was the quiet, fourteen year-old wartortle who leapt into action. In a blink of an eye, he pushed past Roy and had pinned the arcanine to the ground, with one arm dangerously crushing his larynx. The other proceeded to reach around his back and into his shell, pulling out 9mm handgun, which he proceeded to press into point-blank range at Archie's forehead.

"DA FUCK!?!" the arcanine shouted out in surprise.

"Start talking, dog," Hanbei spoke in a neutral voice. "Tell us where the boy's bike is, or I insure your face will be on a milk carton."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOIN', BEI-BEI!?" Roy started to reach for his friend.

"Roy, this one has made it clear that force is the only thing that he will pay heed to. I am merely obliging his line of reasoning."

"But Hanbei-!" Roy could only barely stammer out. He, Junior, and the rest of their friends, could only watch with utter shock as the normally mellow sea turtle was driven to such an extreme. On the other hand, Archie himself started to just chuckle.

"Hah! Nice try, blue boy! You really think I'm scared of your lil toy gun that looks like some bootleg 'saturday night special'?!"

"...Oh, you really think I am one to play around?" Hanbei muttered coolly. He then pointed the gun straight into the air, and then fired off two rounds. It sounded like firecrackers going off to the young Jr's ears. However, he, as well as everybody else present, quickly got the hint that this was no laughing matter, as two shell casings dropped with a small clang on the ground. And by the time Hanbei thrust the now-hot barrel of the gun back into Archie's face, the once defiant look on his face quickly dissolved into one of sheer terror. Junior didn't miss the growing wet spot that was forming in the arcanine's cargo pants.

"Oh shit.....oh Jesus...!" Archie could barely sputter.

"Last chance. Tell me where the boy's bike is," Hanbei repeated.

"Alright....ALRIGHT! I was just kidding! Da bike's in that bathroom! HERE!" the canine reached into his pants pocket and placed a single key beside on the ground. Warby quickly made his way over to the key, and rushed around to check the dirty, and gross looking door to lavatory. A quick twist of the key yielded positive results, as Jr's bicycle was indeed inside, safe and sound.

"Bike's yours! I ain't gonna do this type of shit again! I promise!" Archie pleaded. "I...I know I was wrong, and all dat!"

However, the wartortle did not move an inch. In fact, a small smile crept to his lips.

"Please....! Don't....!" Tears formed at the edges of the juvenile arcanine's eyes. Everybody else stayed quiet, fearing that any wrong movement might make Hanbei snap.

"Perhaps you have learned a lesson here today. It is not so nice being on the receiving end of this type of treatment, now is it?" Archie, after a few seconds, chose to shake his head slowly. "Or perhaps I am merely kidding myself. Lowlifes like yourself don't change your ways. And that just makes me question things even more about life itself. For why is it that scum like you are allowed to continue to breathe air...while my brother, who would not hurt a fly, is the one that had to die...? Is that fair...? Is that anything close to 'justice'...?"

"I dunno but....PLEASE...! I'm sorry! I'm SORRRY!!!"

"....Ni...Nii-chan!" Junior squeaked out, at long last, edging closer to Hanbei. "I....I only wanted to get my bike back. I don't want you to hurt him, or get in any more trouble!"

At that, the pale blue young man turned to the small Koopa. Hanbei's brown eyes gave a quick once over of Junior's gaze, as if he was peering right into the little boy's heart. He must have found some thing to his liking, because his expression got a degree softer in tone, even as he harshly grabbed Archie by his head fur, forcing him to look directly at Junior.

"I want you to take a good look at this young one, in front of you. Even though you were the one who tormented him...roughed him up...and stole some thing that was precious to him...he is still willing to intercede on your behalf, as opposed to leaving you at my mercy. He's very likely going to be a better man than you or I, and it is HE you should thank for mercy. So say 'thank you' to Bowser Koopa, Jr., Archibald," Hanbei commanded.

"Than...thank you...thank you...! I'll never mess with you and your friends again...! I promise!" Archie blurted out.

"Is that an acceptable apology, Junia-kou?"

"Yes, nii-chan. Now, just let him go! Please!" Junior urged once more. Hanbei nodded, and released his mounted hold on Archie, gun still trained on the canine.

"Now, leave this place, and see that you live up to the promise you made the boy. If nothing else, kindly remember that I was able to find you easily enough before today. I can just as easily 'keep in touch' with you to check up on your activities at any time I so desire in the future. Do I make myself clear...?"

Archie only nodded furiously, before running away from Hanbei and the group as fast as he possibly could, getting onto his own dirt bike to make his escape.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayuum!" Dylan shouted out. "You was really thinkin' about doing dat furball in, weren't ya?!"

"Sheesh, blue! Din't think you was that stone cold!" Reno chimed in. "It's like Big Boy Roy was da 'good cop' dis time!"

"...Yeah..." Roy trailed off.

"But you couldn't have been serious about doing the guy in like that....right?" Warby asked. Hanbei stayed silent, as he picked up the shell casings that fell from his gun.

"Right.....nii-chan...?" Junior asked, getting all the more concerned.

"Let me first ask a question of all of you. Do any of you know what type of bullets these types of shell casings once held...?" Hanbei queried, as he held the ruddy-colored casings in the palm of his hand. The perplexed expression that echoed across all present pressed Hanbei to continue. "They are blank bullets. The same type of bullets used for gunfights in action cinema, like that 'Lethal Weapon 3' movie we all watched together a few weeks ago. These are intended to be used for the sake of effect, and little else."

"So, basically...?" Gonzo smiled slyly.

"I had no intention of killing the idiot. But in the end, I knew he would be too scared to lie. That just left me to determine the best way to scare him."

"Hah! Ya had us all thinkin' you was goin' give the guy a new asshole, for a minute!" Dylan laughed.

"Well, as the old adage states...'if you want to succeed in fooling your enemy, succeed in fooling your friends first,'" Hanbei retorted.

"Huh..." Reno answered. "Well, you gangsta! That much goes without saying!"

"Hell yeah!" Gonzo added, as he ran his fingers through his red mowhawk. "We got the bike back, and that bitch-ass sunuva leg humper likely won't EVER be showing his face around these parts again! Good shit, eh, Roy?"

"Yeah..." Roy nodded, with a quiet expression on his face. "We're done here. Let's go."

That look on his big brother's face made it clear enough that while that bit of "business" was done, it was far from over between him and his best friend. That very night, it was around 11:30. Little Junior was roused from sleep by a disturbing dream, and decided to default to his usual thing of crashing at Roy's room instead. However, before he could knock on the slightly ajar door, he heard his brother and Hanbei having words. He had never seen the two having a conflict of that sort. Or at least, not since they very first met, but this was decidedly different. Taking advantage of the door not being shut completely, the seven year-old Koopa tuned into the argument. He hoped that he would not have to go in and try to break up any type of conflict between his two role models, himself.

"...Bei-Bei, you missin' it!" Roy grumbled lowly.

"Missing what?" Hanbei responded evenly.

"Uh, HELLO!?! Ya fuckin' pulled out a GUN 'n threatened dat damn furball wit' it!"

"And as I have been trying to tell you, Roy-dai, the bullets were not real. Merely an illusion utilized for the sake of accomplishing the goal we had in mind."

"Grrr! Dat's NOT the point, dammit!" Roy shouted out.

"Then what exactly is your point?" Hanbei asked.

"Aight, look, Dun exactly like how ya be willing to fuckin' BREAK people when it's time to throw down, but I deal wit' it 'cuz at least ya leave 'em some thing to recover from. But threatenin' somebody with a GUN, Hanbei?! How long ya been carryin' dat around in dat shell of yours?!"

"Almost a year, now," Hanbei's neutral tone presisted.

"Gee me Chrismas...!" Roy groaned. "...I'm not even gonna ask how ya got your hands on a piece. Dat's a stupid question at dis point, cuz I know ya got da sources 'n da means. But...WHY?!"

"Simple answer? Like with all martial arts, it is better to possess and know how to use the tools and options available and not need them, than to be caught unprepared. You and I both know multiple means of how to strangle the life out of a man, even though we don't openly demonstrate such."

"Bullshit, Hanbei! What we know how to do wit' our fists is one thing! D** AT** IS A GUN. S'pose some cop searched ya if we all got caught on some random thing? Cuz y'know da cops will do anything to put the scaley man down, if they can? Or even worse! S'pose Junior found it lying around, 'n wanted to play with it, thinkin' it was a toy!?"

"I would never do any thing so utterly careless that would jeopardize your well-being, and only more so the case with Junior's. You know me better than that," Hanbei's tone turned more serious.

"Accidents can happen, Hanbei! No matter how much ya like to think of yourself as in control, they can STILL happen!"

"You are correct. Precisely the reason why I believed I needed to act as I did, this day."

"Wha chu talkin' 'bout, Hanbei?!" Roy asked, confused.

"Think back to when Archie angered you. He was not only refusing to be cooperative, but he had you thinking that Junior's bike was lost for good. Junior's tears became your rage, and I recognized that look on your face."

The teenaged Roy remained silent, as he let the events of earlier today play out in his mind.

"...You were going to beat Archie within an inch of his miserable life. And then the question becomes, would you have been able to truly beat a confession out of him? Or would you even stop long enough for him to give you one...?"

"I..." Roy began to speak, but no more words came.

"...Such a thing was something that I could not allow to happen, or even leave to chance. Especially not in front of your little brother, who looks to you as his hero. Weighing the available options at hand, that was why I chose the outcome for you. Because if it came down to one of us, I would rather Junior, and everyone else, see me as the 'villain'. I would be perfectly fine with that."

"Gyat dammit, Hanbei...!" Roy said, as he reached up and tossed his sunglasses across the room. For the first time since waking up that morning, Roy's vibrant, violet-colored eyes were on display. Hanbei actually registered a degree of surprise at this development, as his friend gazed at him.

"You're still not gettin' it, Hanbei," Roy's voice changed for a decidedly more gentler, but no less serious tone of voice, doing away with his tough guy 'accent', as well. "I don't want you to be made out to be the bad guy, either! Not only because you're my partner, but because I know you're a good guy, even though you most definitely have 'ways' about you, sometimes. Everything I've been able to do since re-trying 6th grade after what happened back in the day? It's cuz you had my shell. And I'm not about to see you go down like that! I owe you too much."

"Point taken...." Hanbei trailed off, averting his best friend's jewel-like gaze.

"Eyes FORWARD, Bei-Bei!" Roy raised his voice. "We ain't finished here, yet."

"What...what else is there...?" the wartortle replied, in a more subdued matter.

"That gun. You still got it on you, right?" Hanbei responded to the question by digging into his shell, and presenting it once more.

"Alright then, here it is: You made your point for this time around. But I don't want you to ever use this thing ever again, you hear me?"

"...why not?" Hanbei simply asked.

"If we really gonna be lookin' out for each other, then you don't need it. Cuz you got me!" Roy gave a small grin.

"What do you mean by that...?"

"What I'm sayin' is...before I met ya, I used to carry around a switchblade that I stole from Pops' lil collection of knives. I thought I needed it cuz I thought I needed the protection. But after I started rollin' wit' you, learning that jiu-jitsu and such? Felt like I didn't need it any more, for more than one reason. I went and put that knife up for good, ever since. So, that's what I want you to do too, Bei-Bei. I trust you cuz I know you got my shell. I'd like ta think that you see me the same way..."

Hanbei took a quick look at his taller friend, and then down at the 9mm that was in his hands. In that brief moment, Junior could see that it was clearly an inward struggle between Hanbei's own way of thinking and the very notion of just being willing to put his trust in another. But after a minute more, Hanbei answered Roy's challenge. He then proceeded to, in a machine-like fashion, take the gun apart. Starting with taking out the empty magazine, and ending with sliding the outer barrel off its hinges, before long, the once deadly apparatus laid strewn in a small heap of practically harmless parts between the two friends. Junior could tell that Roy was impressed with such an act, and Junior himself was spellbound, even as he watched from afar.

"It is done," Hanbei stated as evenly as possible. "Furthermore, I swear to you that I won't threaten to use such lethal force again." Roy immediately broke into a large grin and then wrapped the periwinkle turtle in a big hug.

"That's wassup, Bei-Bei! Now, let's never fight like that ever again! Aight?!"

"Uh...right...!" Hanbei said, fighting off a blush that was developing around his dark-blue dimples. It was then that Junior finally came into the room, feeling that he might, as well.

"Helloooooo!" Junior smiled gleefully.

"Rugrat, what are you still doin' up?" Roy smiled at his little brother.

"Indeed. It is almost midnight, and you should be asleep!" Hanbei added with a faux-stern look, undermined by a smile of his own.

"Y'all should be too! It's a weeknight! Lights are supposed to be off now, as Papa says!" Junior grinned. "I won't tell, if you guys won't! Just let me chill in here!"

"Fair enough," Roy relented, as he went to gather up the pieces of the gun.

"Hey, bro...what's all that in your hands?" Junior playing off his youthful innocence.

"Dun worry 'bout it, lil man. Ya won't be seein' it no mo', anyhow!" Roy smiled, with a twinkle in his eyes, as he packed away the remains of the gun in a large trash bag, along with trash from his room's wastebasket. With the trash being concealed as it was, the gun's parts would be taken out of the house without further incident, never to be seen again.

It was a day that Junior would always remember. It was initially very painful and very scary. But through it all, Junior had an opportunity to see that Hanbei and Roy's friendship not only endured such an episode, but their bond was only strengthened. He wouldn't want to have missed that for anything else.

**********

"Oy...Rugrat! ...RUGRAT!" Roy bellowed, snapping the seventeen year-old Junior out of his reminiscence.

"Oh, sorry, big bro. What was that?"

"...As I was sayin'! Just about done over here, but need a refill on soap. Kindly see if there's any under da sink and make yo'self useful, why doncha?!"

"Friggin' 17 going on 18, and you STILL wanna call me that...?" Junior smiled as he started to reach down.

"It dun matter how old ya get, or where ya may go! Ya ALWAYS goin' be my lil brutha! And ya best not forget dat!" Roy grinned back.

"How could I, even if I wanted to?" Junior said as crouched down and looked under the sink. Within due time, he was able to find another bottle of liquid soap for his brother's needs. But what almost caused him to gasp out loud, was when he found a familiar-looking, plastic bottle with a pink-colored liquid inside of it. It was unmistakable. He or Jojo must have left a spare bottle around of that stuff that made his hair look so great. He wondered if its contents were still good; at the very least, it still smelled quite good. He made sure the bottle was tightened, and brought it up with him, while also pulling out the soap for his brother.

"Here you go, Roy. Seems we still got some Dove around here," Junior said at last, as he rose to his feet.

"Thanks, lil man! Lil bit more should do it!" Roy said as he immediately squirted a bit on Hanbei's jacket. He then noticed the other bottle in Junior's other hand. "But what's dat you got there?"

"Ah, nothing really," Junior said, trying to be as casual as possible. However, Hanbei had a curious and amiable look as he gave the bottle the once over.

"Hm...Jojo's handiwork. There can be no doubt about that," the light blue turtle mused.

"How did ya know?" Junior smiled a bit.

"My feline prodigy set me up with a custom made cologne, when we officially met and greeted each other. It was quite nice. I will have to ask if I can get a refill when I next see him. Or perhaps whenever he is slated to come over here next...?"

"Yeah, I'll ask him..." Junior trailed off with the best smile he could muster.

"A prodigy?" Billy asked.

"Indeed. He was with me for while, like you guys are currently. You could consider him as another one of your 'big brothers'," Hanbei smirked.

"Cool!" both twins smiled with glee. If only Junior could share in their delight of looking forward to seeing Jojo again.

It may have seemed like only yesterday since "that day" happened. In reality, it was a little more than a year since he and the persian interacted at all, much less shared anything close to the intimacy they once had. The aftermath that ensued after that day didn't improve things much at all. Speculation ran rampant around the school, as the reason why two former friends, as well as two popular figures amongst the populace, were at odds. Finally, one day, around the start of their Senior year, Jojo broke his silence on the matter and actually obliged some one who pressed the issue of what happened that day. In the British feline's own words:

"Yes, it's true that Junior and I used to be friends. That ended as soon as I found out that I just could not trust him any longer. He went behind my back, and stole away some one from me who I was going to give my heart to. It will certainly be a long time, if EVER, that I forgive him for something such as that."

It did not take long for such words to worm its way around the campus grounds. But one "funny" thing was how people came to understand Jojo's choice of words for themselves. The assumption, from that point on, was that the "beef" between the two boys stemmed from Barbara herself. And everybody had their own version of that day's events to tell, which only muddled the details even more. Some even went on to proclaim that the two even had an epic fist fight of sorts, which, of course, was complete BS.

The other "funny" thing? It was Barbara herself who started to feel truly bad about the whole thing. A few times in the last few months, she actually tried to get the two guys to reconcile, because she hated the idea that they were "fighting over her." If she only knew...

Possibly the one saving grace throughout the whole ordeal was that Junior's social standing did remain intact. Even Jojo, through his words, did more to protect Junior's secret, though Junior was able to clearly see the underlying subtext that Jojo used to broadcast a message specifically to his former flame. Day by day, with prom being tomorrow and graduation soon after that, Junior quickly came to realize that it was definitely not worth it. There were very few things he would not do, if it meant being able to go back, and set things right. He missed "his kitty", and in the end, he only had himself to blame for why Jojo was not in his life.

"Aight! Dat should do it! It'll be good as new as soon as it comes out of the laundry!" Roy smiled with pride as he held the white, slightly wet jacket in his hands.

"See that it does," Hanbei gave his best friend a wry smile. "And I do hope they remember my stuff is drip-dry only."

"Hey, guys...?" Bowser's voice could be heard on the other side of the door.

"...Yeah, Dad?" Junior answered.

"Good time, or bad time?" the Koopa patriarch asked.

"You-know-who's not wit' cha, right?" Roy asked back.

"Nah, it's only me and Wendy out here. Scout's honor!" Bowser chuckled mildly. The collective group within the bathroom all nodded assent, and then walked out into the hallway. No sooner that the group was fully assembled, that Bowser quickly got in front of Hanbei and his two charges.

"Alright...first of all, I'm really sorry for how that went back there. So, Hanbei, Billy, Jimmy...I'm asking for your forgiveness, on my father's behalf."

"B-san, you have nothing to apologize for. If anything...I should apologize for my own conduct," Hanbei offered.

"Heh, nah, you just got that honest from your Daddy! Very kind guy, would give ya the shirt AND shell off his back. But just try messing with his kids or his friends!" Bowser smiled, which Hanbei gradually returned. "Still, I need you to do something for me, boy. A small, and I think a reasonable request. Rufus will, hopefully, be here for only today and tomorrow. In that time, I just ask you and your boys to just stay away from him. He and his girl will be on basically the other side of the house, conveniently in the room that was recently emptied for remodeling."

"...HOLD UP!" Wendy said indignantly. "We're not talking about back over by the Study, right?"

"Umm....yeah...?" Bowser said slowly.

"....THAT WAS THE ROOM I SPECIFICALLY HAD IN MIND FOR HANBEI! And you knew it!" she screeched.

"I know, sweetie, but YOUR grandfather's surprise visit kinda forced my hand."

"Crusty, old bastard...!" Wendy huffed.

"So where are we gonna stay now?" Billy asked.

"I think Roy's current digs are more than enough to accommodate you all....wouldn't you agree, big bro...?" Junior smiled.

"...Hell, yeah!" Roy smiled with glee. "It'll be just like old times! My new room is mos' def bigger now! Ya gonna love it, Bei-Bei!"

"Good that you guys already reached that conclusion! I've already got things started with people moving Hanbei's other stuff up there," Bowser grinned.

"If it is really too much of a hassle..." Hanbei began.

"Nevermind dat, Bei-Bei! It's all good!" Roy said, as he wrapped an arm around Hanbei's neck with a widening smile. "'Sides...ya still owe me! Dis just makes it easier, since we'll prolly be up most o' da night chillin', any way!"

"Good, good!" Bowser grinned. "See, Hanbei? We Koopas thrive on being adaptable, even in light of unforeseen circumstances beyond our control!"

"That is where the Koopa and Kagami families truly differ," Hanbei said, as he snaked out of Roy's hold. "My father raised me on the notion of being prepared for any possibilities that may raise. In that light, I suppose his choice to name me and my brother after one of the best military tacticians in Japan's history made my own destiny clear."

"Hah hah!" Bowser laughed. "But even your old man couldn't expect to be all like Batman and have time to plan! And that was especially the case when we were rolling together in Brazil, all those years ago!"

"Point taken, B-san," Hanbei stated, as he turned to follow the others to their new destination. Just then, Bowser snapped his fingers, as he remembered something.

"Oh yeah, that's right! One more thing, Hanbei!" Bowser said, gesturing Hanbei over.

"Hm...?" Hanbei asked as he approached.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to say 'no solitary post-midnight strolls' for you," the senior Bowser replied with a grin. "Gaisei's request!"

"B-san..."

"Sorry, Hanbei, but I can't deny that kind of request. At least for the time being, until that matter gets cleared up, alright?" Bowser asked. With little other choice, Hanbei just nodded his head slowly.

"That-a-boy! Oh, and just remember....!" Bowser said as he then leaned in closer to Hanbei's left ear, where he then whispered something that Junior couldn't pick up. Hanbei nodded once more.

"Alright! NOW, I'm done with you! Unless, of course, you guys changed your mind and plan to DDR it up later..." Bowser smiled with hope in his eyes.

"Not tonight, Pops! Like I said, it's fight night tonight!" Roy grinned.

"Damn!" Bowser cursed. "Well, sooner or later, you guys will have to allow me to play that again! I've even started a new thing, training on Beatmania IIDX a lil while ago! I'm READY!"

"And for now though? You will be okay, Daddy!" Wendy smiled. "C'mon now, boys! It must be said again! Roy's new domocile is indeed a sight to behold!"

Junior allowed a genuine smile to appear on his face for the first time in a while. Some real fun should ensue now that the Koopa family's favorite blue boy was back in town. That should have been more than enough to take Junior's mind off of things, even if just for a short while.