Chasing Dreams (Dropped)

Chapter 198: Ambition

A message? Ren blinked and adjusted his eyes, locking them onto Jacen like magnets. "Why would I do that?"

Jacen tried to smirk, but his burnt lips peeled, forcing them to stay in place. He was already in enough pain. Half of his body was gone, and the remaining half stung like hell.

"Why wouldn't you?" Jacen asked. "You seem like a reasonable guy. At least, more reasonable than that wild bitch."

Jacen noticed Ren's right eye twitch. It didn't take a genius to realize he struck a nerve. "Like I said before. I'm lucky to have run into you. If Natsumi got her hands on me there's no way in hell she would've let me get a word in..."

Ren's frown grew slightly. He was fairly familiar with Natsumi's short temper. Irritability ran strong in Wolfe-Blood. Irene called it Wildfire; depending on how much of it someone possessed, the worse their temperament would be in their youth.

Typically, those born with more Wildfire lived shorter lives. Irene always believed it was because of the ferocity of the Wolf spirit running wild in their veins.

It'd caused them to be quick-tempered, passionate, and stubborn—the Wolfe Family's inability to let things go and move on enslaved them with magnified emotions.

Fortunately, Ren and Jack grew up with very little Wildfire. Ren's mixed Fujiwara Blood balanced out his hot-headedness with cool-clarity. While in contrast, the absence of Jack's emotions proved to be a blessing in disguise.

However, Natsumi was much different. Among Irene's three children, Natsumi had the most Wildfire brewing inside of her. It was scorching her from within, transforming Natsumi into a vessel of irrational hate and rage.

Ren saw Natsumi's anger in small bursts throughout his youth. If anyone from the neighboring gangs approached Ren, Natsumi would kick them into the dirt. He recalled Natsumi stomping on someone's balls after pick-pocketing them.

Has it gotten worse since then?

Ren observed Jacen silently, focusing on his wounds. He had an idea which injuries were caused by Nyssa and which wounds existed prior due to Natsumi.

"Your face...did Natsu do that to you?" Ren asked, his voice mellow like the nightly winds.

"My face?" Jacen closed his open socket and coughed. Black blood managed to spill between his melted teeth. "Oh, you mean my eye?" He stayed silent for a while. Ren noticed something darken in his lone eye.

"Yeah, Natsumi did this to me," Jacen said, touching his wound. "She tore it out the first day we got here. Jack was there. Zhu Li too. I guess my resilience pissed her off..."

Jacen somehow managed to smirk. But seeing Jacen smile brought Ren no joy.

I doubt that. Ren knew his sister all too well. If anything, Jacen's existence is what pissed her off. Ren didn't know much about Natsumi and Jacen's relationship. He knew they were once allies, and then Jacen betrayed them.

"Did any of it matter to you?" Ren asked, sharpening his glare. He wanted some clarity. Perhaps if he understood Jacen a little better, he could find some meaning behind his actions. "Lupus, Natsumi, Jack... Nana."

Ren saw some remorse in Jacen's eye, even if the rest of his face could not show it. Ikumi once called eyes the windows to the soul. By looking into them, Ren was able to see directly into Jacen's soul.

"Not really." Jacen answered plainly.

"You're lying." Ren shook his head. "I saw you in Jack's memories. You were always there, looking out for him, guiding him, and even teaching him. I can't believe that the bonds you formed meant absolutely nothing to you while you were there."