HEROESありません 2: 意味のない道
CHAPTER 2
Crimson Beach City, Beckoning Cat Casino.
The sun setting turned the sky a bright pink once again. It was about time for the casino's nightly rush hour. The sun set behind the beckoning cat, one of the tallest buildings in the city. The inside of the building had an undeniable japanese theme, as was popular in the US nowadays. Folding paper screens separated roulette and blackjack tables. Little pink bonsai trees filled the gaps between slots machines. There was a sizeable collection of Tomoko themed pachinko machines. Painstakingly painted dragons danced around the walls. A giant statue of a golden cat holding a coin was the lobby's centerpiece. Around the lobby there were japanese style maids with red and gold uniforms, as was the main color scheme of the whole casino. The front door was spontaneously kicked open.
He looked to be a skinny guy in his early 20s. His long hair was pure white and it covered one of his eyes, the other eye was a pale blue. He wore a long black coat over a white t-shirt with a large black star on it. He also wore black jeans and was covered in belts and straps. On his back was a huge silver anti-tank rifle. JESSIE RAVEN 2ND RANKED ASSASSIN He walked to the bar calmly and cooly even though all eyes were on him. He sat down at a stool and looked up at the wall. There was a large assortment of weapons hanging on the wall, a cane shaped like a shotgun, a spiked whip, a rusty sabre and so on, but what caught jessie's eye was a finely detailed ritualistic sword. "How can I help you?" The barmaid said coldly. "Well for starters, you can return my brother's sword to me, oh and a shot of saké." Jessie said smoothly. "Sir, I see assassins like you in here everyday, and they all want something from the wall, so tell me. What makes you special?" The barmaid said toughly. Jessie laughed and said "8 ball in the corner pocket." Jessie rested his rifle on his shoulder and suddenly fired behind him. The bullet ricocheted fast off the walls of the casino, the bullet suddenly spiraled to the barmaid. The barmaid's head exploded covering the bottles behind her in red. A geyser of blood erupted from the sudden hole, and 99 casino chips flowed out with it. "Pretty neat, huh" Jessie hopped behind the bar's counter as the maid's drew samurai swords. BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG each shot was slow but like a cannon going off. The bullets seemed to fly in random directions, even colliding with each other at some points, but sure enough a bullet handed in every maid's head making them all burst one by one. Jessie jumped onto the counter and grabbed his brother's sword off the wall, sure enough it resonated with him perfectly. JESSIE HAS A NEW WEAPON "ANGEL SLAYER" Jessie holstered the weapon in one of his straps. He then calmly walked to the elevator and hit the top floor button.
Jessie walked out of the elevator and into a large mostly empty office with a huge window looking out at the city. At the desk was a buff slightly tanned woman. She had short strawberry blonde hair. She had one red eye, and one blue eye. She wore a red fedora with a white band. She also wore an expensive white schoolgirl's uniform with all red trim. On exposed parts of her body you could see tattoos depicting flames. AKANE KATSUO 1ST RANKED ASSASSIN "Flashy place you got here." Jessie said plainly. "It could all be yours, isn't that exciting." Akane said with boredness in her voice. Jessie then quickly said "I don't care about that. What I care about is my brother. He…" "was a kill crazy psychopath who saw beauty in killing people." Akane finished. "He was a happy person, enlightened in a sort of messed up way." Jessie corrected. "Crazy or not I will bag the assassin who killed him, I'm a man of honor." Jessie said as he readied his giant gun. Akane sighed as she got up from her chair unsheathing her katana as it began to light ablaze with a red flame. Akane ran forward as Jessie fired. She swung her blade just in time to ricochet the bullet towards the wall. Jessie continued to fire as Akane swung at the bullets. They ricocheted off the walls and back at her again and again, she was beginning to get tired. She got all the bullets in one swing and spun around, launching them towards the window. The window instantly shattered, sending glass everywhere. Akane took on of her gauntleted hands and grabbed the anti tank rifle. She ripped it out of Jessie's hands and swung it around and around before throwing it at the corner with a crash. Jessie had no choice, he took up his brother's sword swung at Akane. Akane quickly countered with her own blade. They swung and swung at each other but the heat of Akane's blade was melting the edges of Jessie's sword. They clashed until Akane gave a mighty vertical strike. Cutting right through the sword and Jessie. Jessie's final expression was that of peace as his torso fell to the floor and 333$ in coins covered in red shot from it. JESSIE RAVEN IS DEAD! "They never learn about revenge." Akane looked to the destroyed window. "Heh, Miyu is going to be pissed, as usual. I'm always breaking this thing, maybe I should go for an open air office."
CHAPTER 2
THE NEXT MORNING
The head maid Miyu stood under the giant golden cat statue, arms crossed, eyes determined. She had jet black hair and green eyes. The lesser maids were hard at work cleaning up the blood of yesterday's mess. They ran around frantically with mops and polishers and vacuums. Suddenly a elevator on the far end of the lobby opened up. Akane strolled into the lobby. "Bang up job as always Miyu, I'm going out to teach some punk a lesson… again." Akane said heading towards the parking garage. "Don't be reckless." Miyu said coldly. "Recklessness is how I won this whole thing." Akane said smiling as she twirled her keyring on her finger. Akane entered the rather dull garage and hopped on her red and gold motorbike, with BECKONING CAT emblazoned on the side. Akane sped out of the garage and onto the road. Her hair flapped in the wind and exhaust filled the air.
After a while she screeched to a halt in a very familiar parking lot. Akane looked up and saw a figure standing tall on the rooftop of Crimson High School. "That's the punk alright." Akane then entered the school confidently. She ignored the receptionist and went straight for the nearest staircase. Akane opened the staircase door and got to climbing. After reaching the rooftop door she barreled through it, the assassin on the roof turned to face Akane. She was a teenager with flowing pink hair. She had two red contacts over her eyes. She wore a pink dress with white trim, decorated with star shaped buttons. TENSHI YOSHIKO 2ND RANKED ASSASSIN she spoke in angry and commanding but still high pitched tone. "There you are! IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE I WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN! PREPARE TO DIE MONSTER!" Tenshi shouted, striking a pose. "Monster sounds a little ironic, 2nd ranked assassin." Akane said shaking her head. "You have killed way more than me! Any life you haven't killed you have ruined with your rigged money black hole you call a casino!" Tenshi said enraged. "You're going to like the idea of a casino a lot more if you become number one." Akane warned. "As long as you're at the top. Nobody else will matter to you. It's sad but the truth." Akane continued. "You absolute villain! Twisted by greed and being the best! I will be different!" Tenshi proclaimed. "And just how are you going to do that?" Akane asked. "Enough! It's time for you to come to justice!" Tenshi said pulling out a thick girly looking wand with a star on top. "Hey, it's your funeral." Akane said drawing her flaming katana. Tenshi pointed her wand forward and yellow 5-pointed star shaped blades materialized from the tip, flying towards Akane. Akane slashed at the stars, trying to knock them away, but one of the blades managed to embed itself in Akane's leg. Akane gritted her teeth and didn't scream, she took one knee and drew her revolver like nothing. "We'll see how tough you are!" Tenshi sprouted large white feathery wings before flying upward. "STAR STORM!" Tenshi pointed her wand downwards and a much larger mass of stars was heading Akane's way. Akane fired her golden revolver BANG BANG BANG! The bullets ricocheted off the stars and rocketed through them. The bullets manage to knock the stars off course, making them fall randomly around Akane. 2 bullets pierced the left wing. "AAAAAGH!" Tenshi cried in agony as she dived lightning fast towards Akane. Akane proudly thrusted her sword upwards Skewering Tenshi right through the middle. TENSHI YOSHIKO IS DEAD! Akane yanked the sword out making the body fall on her. From the sword wound a usual fountain of blood spurted, but on that fountain updraft was golden feathers. "Sweet!" Akane took one of the feathers and stuck it in the band of her hat. Akane picked up Tenshi's wand but felt resonation. Akane then picked up a cartoony looking heart next to Tenshi's body. She felt she was able to stand once more as she felt her vitality boosted. Akane laughed as she said "I bet she's in heaven now, scowling down at me." Akane then walked towards the rooftop stairwell entrance.
CHAPTER 25
1 YEAR AND 6 MONTHS AGO
Akane sat at a dingy small bar. A dirty little place on the bad side of town. It was dark, with the only lighting being the neon signs that littered the walls. Akane looked different back then, her schoolgirl uniform was ripped and worn, her hair was messy and unkempt, and she wore no hat. Akane sat at a stool clutching a bottle tightly. "That assassin… HE TOOK EVERYTHING!" Akane suddenly said in an angry slur. Akane brought her bottle down on the old countertop hard. "IT'S NOT FAIR!" Akane took what was left of the bottle and threw it at the dart board. The bottle hit the nearby wall instead. "THEY NEED TO FUCKING PAY!" Akane said in a fury, picking up another bottle. "ASSASSINS NEVER PAY!" She screamed as she threw it at the dartboard once more. This time it hit a large tattooed gentleman right on the head, knocking him out. Behind her she felt the bartender grab her by the shoulder. Akane grabbed a nearby beer mug and swiped him across the face with it, causing him to lose his grip and fall to the ground. Akane jumped behind the bar and got on top of the barkeep, beating him down with her fists. "DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!" Soon the barkeep stopped moving and blood poured from his mouth. Akane then went into the fetal position and started to sob.
A man in a white trench coat and a wide brimmed hat walked behind the bar. "Are you looking for a job, or revenge?" The mysterious man asked. Akane curiously sat up and looked at the man, wiping some tears off of her face. "The man who caused you so much pain is the number one ranked assassin of crimson beach city. If you are up to it you can kill your way up the top 25 to have your revenge, pays well also." The man stated "Your tryin' to make me a murderer aren't chu?" Akane said slurring. "I'm not forcing you too. Do whatever you want. I am a talent scout of sorts, and I have been watching you for a long time." "Fugin pervet, *urp" Akane interrupted. "You are well capable of becoming number one. If you decide to, rank 25 lives in an alley behind Rook's pawnshop. It's just a couple blocks away, keep it in mind." The man said before walking out the exit. Akane never saw that man ever again.
Akane stumbled out of the bar and down the streets of the slums. Eventually she came to building with a big neon sign out front sure enough it said "ROOK'S PAWN AND LOAN" "I better get me a weapon." Akane mumbled to herself as she opened the large double doors into the building. Among the wide assortment of junk under the bright neon lights were an assortment of shiny guns, and swords. One in particular seemed to call out to akane when she saw it. It was a simple japanese katana like in the samurai movies. It seemed to resonate with Akane's very soul. Akane chewed through the last of her savings but it was worth it. AKANE HAS A NEW WEAPON "SENSHI NO MICHI BLADE"
Akane slowly walked into the alley with her katana drawn. Sitting casually next to a large green dumpster was a balding old man with what was left of his hair being white. He wore wire reading glasses with simple brown eyes peering out from them. He wore an old white t-shirt with the logo for Crimson College on the front, and ripped blue jeans. THE WANDERER 25TH RANKED ASSASSIN The wanderer talked in a wavering tone as if he wasn't sure of anything. "Who are you?" "Take a goood look! I'm Akane Katsuo and I'm gonna *hic kill ya old man! Akane said still heavily drunk and red in the face. "Why are you going to do that? Why do we need to fight?" Wanderer asked. "Cuz i'm gonna be numba 1, and your tha rank 25 assassin. Dummy *urp." Akane said in a slur. "I can't even remember my own name lady. You look crocked, what's your name? Do you need me to take you home?" Wanderer asked. "I don need ta go home! I need ta fight!" Akane insisted. "I don't know who you are or why you want to fight but if that will make you happy, i'll do it." Wanderer said as he reached behind the dumpster and grabbed his sabre. Akane ran forward wildly swinging her blade. Wanderer gave one powerful strike against Akane's blade causing her to stumble back. Akane jumped up and swung and clashed at wanderer's blade. The constant slashes started to be to much for the old man but he kept swinging, until he had to take a breath. Akane took this opening to slice right through the neck of the wanderer, decapitating him. AKANE KATSUO IS NOW RANK 25! Akane gave a drunken howl of triumph, as a blood fountained from the wanderer's head. A ten dollar bill floated down from the fountain and Akane snatched to the wanderer was a cartoony looking heart, when Akane picked it up she felt her vitality and will to live grow slightly. Akane tried to stumble out of the alley but tripped over the wanderer's body, causing her to fall onto the alley way's floor.
RINGRINGRING The next morning Akane woke up with a headache and a BAD hangover. She was still lying on the alley way's floor. "Ugh, What did I do last night?" RINGRINGRING Akane looked to her phone and picked it up. "Who is it? Well, If it isn't my childhood friend, I knew you'd come crawling back. Well sure you can crash at my place any time, but don't you have your own cushy house in… I see, WAIT YOU… That takes some balls, I didn't know you had it in you Miyu. No that's fine. I'll get the couch ready, I just got ten bucks so we can eat good tonight. Your welcome, now if you'll excuse me, I have… something to deal with." click.
CHAPTER 2
1 YEAR AND 6 MONTHS LATER (BACK IN PRESENT DAY)
Akane sat at her bar at the beckoning cat. Out of all the weapons on the wall the crown of the collection was that rusty old sabre. A chubby woman rushed over to the bar. She wore a white ninja headband with her dyed lime green hair gelled and spiked up. She wore green margarita themed sunglasses. She also wore a white beckoning cat bathrobe and green flip flops. NAOMI NADINE FORMER RANK 6 "Master Akane! You need to see this!" Naomi said excitedly as she grabbed the remote for a nearby tv off the bar. Naomi feverishly turned it on and turned it to a cartoon channel. "We are happy to announce that Tomoko's Ordinary Fighting High School is un cancelled! That's right! Tomoko is back, and she's got a message for you." said a smiling woman on the tv. "Tomo's hologram form appeared on the tv, with her bubbly voice returning, if not a little distorted. "Hey guys! I'm so glad to be alive again! I'm hosting a free concert at the convention center! If miss perverted assassin is listening, you know, the girl who killed me. You are going to be a part of the performance too! Isn't that cool? If you don't show up, I'll track you down and shoot on location! Byebye for now!" Naomi cut off the tv and turned to Akane "AKANE! You gotta kill her again to show everyone that you're the alpha..." Naomi started to say before Akane interrupted. "Alright, alright, I'll do it, but only for you fangirl." Akane hopped off of the stool and walked to the garage. Akane jumped onto her motorcycle. "This is going to be one heck of a revival tour. I hope I have fun." Akane blasted off onto the road once more.
It was late that night that Akane showed up at the convention center. She parked her motorcycle and walked into the entrance, slicking her hair back. Akane walked through the twisting corridors once more. A loud anxious drum beat rocked the hallways. Akane walked calmly despite of this. Akane opened the doors of the same room she fought tomoko in a year ago, the dried blood still covered the room. All of tomoko's fans parted to one side, letting Akane walk to the stage. The drum beat stopped suddenly and Tomo's hologram disappeared. "I knew you'd show up! It's time for the real show to begin! Aren't you excited? I know I am! THIS IS MY FINAL FORM! The curtain on the stage dropped.
Standing there in the big warehouse like room was a 10ft tall mech. It seemed to be in the shape of a humanoid bird. Glowing purple circuits covered the metal exterior. TOMOKO 2ND RANKED ASSASSIN "Oh look, it's the mech suit from season 1 episode 12 cool." Akane said uninterested. "Just cool? I was reborn as a mecha!" Tomoko 2 said surprised. "Look tomoko, I see a meched assassin every few weeks. I've taken down so many mecha and they are ALL the same, just give it up." "What happened to the cocky assassin that killed me? You've changed Akane, and I'm going to take advantage of that." Tomoko 2 said striking a fighting stance. Another similarly sized mech came crashing through the roof. "Oh, did I not tell you, Some of the mechs I fought resonated" Akane said smiling. The mech looked like a giant metal samurai complete with a large katana. "GENKI CRUSHER" MECH
The live audience cleared out to the corners of the room too give the fighters space. The chest of the genki crushed slowly opened revealing a chair with a control panel. Akane jumped into the mech as the door closed again. The genki crusher gave a heavy strike, but Tomoko 2 used her giant metal wings to block. Next the genki crusher went for a low stance and gave an upwards strike, breaking Tomoko 2's block. Tomoko 2 jumped back against the wall. "TOMO-MISSILE!" Tomoko 2 announced as her shoulders morphed into two missile launchers. Erratically spiraling missiles rocketed towards the genki crusher. The genki crusher spun its katana around like a blender's blade. Small explosions crashed onto the blade. "GENKI BLASTER!" Akane shouted. The genki crusher's free hand morphed into a machine gun. Hot lead sprayed both launchers, causing both launchers to explode. "GHRAAAA!" The blue and orange explosions knocked Tomoko 2 back into the wall with a CRASH! Tomoko 2 began to spark and sizzle. The genki crusher grabbed Tomoko 2 by her metallic leg and used its jet feel to crash through the ceiling. Genki crusher threw Tomoko 2 high into the night sky. "Time for the finishing move already? What a disappointment. GENKI DOOMSDAY!" The genki crusher's blade started to spark with pure energy. The genki crusher gave one vertical slice in the direction of Tomoko 2. A wave of energy shot from the blade and found Tomoko 2, ripping her in half and making her blow up in blinding purple light TOMOKO IS DEAD! The genki crusher slowly descended into the room.
Akane exited the mech to a roaring applause. "DON'T CLAP! I JUST FUCKING KILLED SOMEONE!" Akane yelled. The crowd fell mostly silent. "She might have surrendered most of her humanity but she was still partly human, and I killed her, again."
CHAPTER 2
THE NEXT DAY
Akane sat at her desk and asked. "I wonder who is going to come for me today?" A tropical storm covered Crimson Beach City that day, dark clouds raged as drops of water fell from the sky. The elevator opened and Naomi walked into the office. "Master! I saw you fight Tomoko yesterday and it… well, made me cry." "Sorry but no training today Naomi" Akane said a little disinterested. "I'll train myself then! I am going to be the best Master! Just wait and see! I'm even going to succeed you!" Naomi said bowing before walking back to the elevator. Naomi pressed the button and the elevator opened, revealing him. He looked familiar. He was a young man with plain black hair and black rim glasses which had heavily cracked solid white lenses. He wore a white button up shirt and black pants. The man appeared to be cut in half, but long violet tendrils held these halves together. ICHIROU NOBORU 2ND RANKED ASSASSIN Ichirou stepped out of the elevator and put a hand on Naomi's head. "I wish to talk with Akane alone." He spoke in a low distorted tone that was strangely very audible. "Okay." Naomi responded mindlessly as she entered the elevator, taking it to the lobby. "Another assassin comes back from the dead. I swear something like this happened just yesterday. Speaking of which how did you come back?" Akane said carefree. "Truth never dies. You can run from it all you want but it will still be there waiting for you. It is a..." Ichirou started to which Akane interrupted with "I shouldn't have asked that question because I really don't care." "I wonder if that miyu still loves you even with that rude attitude you have developed." Ichirou responded shaking his head. "Nobody loves me anymore, and I don't love anyone!" Akane insisted, drawing her katana. "Your lies are obvious. There is one thing left that you care about, and it might just be taken away from you. I'm just here to tell you, it was too late to save yourself before you were even born." Akane suddenly sliced off the tendrils then sliced and slashed at the halves of Ichiro's body. His blood resquirted onto her face, she didn't care. ICHIROU NOBORU IS DEAD!
Akane took her phone and dialed in a number. "I need to talk to you." Several minutes passed and the elevator door opened once more. "You need me to clean up another one of your messes? Miyu asked coldly looking at Ichiro. "No. I want us to be together again." Akane said. "Forget it. You're disgusting. You get off on killing people, except you've been doing so much of it lately that you're losing your sex drive and are looking to me to get fulfillment in your life." Miyu spat. "I just want us to be at least on friendly terms! If you really hate me so much why do you still work here?" Akane asked aggravated. "Maybe because this is the only place in town that they would hire a person that raped a young girl! Miyu said bordering on yelling. "I'm sorry you get such a good salary at the only place you get hired! What a monster I am treating my old friend so nice even though she's a huge bitch! Now go do your "job" bossing MY staff around!" Akane said infuriated pointing to the elevator. Miyu stormed out of the office.
CHAPTER 2
THE NEXT NIGHT
It was business as usual that night at the Beckoning Cat. Akane sat at the bar that night, not really drinking just sitting there trying to think, staring at all the weapons she had accumulated on the wall. Being business as usual another assassin crashed through the front door. He looked to be still a teenager. His hair was dark in color and was messy. He had green eyes and a smug smile on his face. He was very buff, his muscle showed through his thin crimson high football captain t-shirt. He wore jeans with huge spiked boots. He also wore reinforced black leather gloves. AARON 2ND RANKED ASSASSIN He talked very roughly, like his voice was all scratched up from talking about himself all the time. "Nice place! I need women this obedient for my cheerleading squad!" He said eyeing the maids. "I don't have time for this loser, maids, do your thing." Akane said snapping. Every maid on the main floor except for one drew a katana. "Alright! It's time for a touchdown!" Aaron announced, grabbing a maid in a headlock and snapping her neck. A maid tried to sneak behind Aaron but he spun around and gave a powerful shoulder check to the maid knocking her back he finished her with a crushing fist to the face, killing her instantly. Aaron skillfully dodged the next maid's katana swings, and gave brutal punches. Aaron punched his way through a whole crowd of nurses. Miyu exited the elevator unaware of Aaron, It was over. "Akane I've been thinking..." She quickly covered her mouth but it was too late. Aaron made eye contact with her before charging for her. "Yeah! Mini-boss!" Aaron grabbed Miyu by the head. "AAAHHH HELP! AKANE!" Akane jumped off of her stool and rushed for Aaron. Aaron ripped miyu's head right off of her body, decapitating her with his bare hands.
Akane stopped dead in her tracks. The passionate fighting spirit reawakened within Akane for that one fight. Akane drew her katana. "I'm who you want, I'm number one." Akane said to Aaron. "Then you must be the one who organized hits on my parents." Akane had kept the assassination ring open for business, the beckoning cat was essentially a side business that originated as a money laundromat. "I guess we're even." Aaron said turning his back to leave. "EVEN?! YOU FUCKED UP BASTARD! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!" Akane screamed in fury "Look who I'm talking to." Aaron said, turning back around and readying his fists. Akane's fiery sword clashed with Aaron's fist, and again and again and again and again. They kept clashing for a long time. Eventually Akane's rage over powered Aaron's cool connectedness. Akane's blade managed to wear down Aaron's glove so much that she sliced right through his hand, cutting it in half. "GRAH!" Aaron screamed in pain. Aaron suddenly gave Akane a swift knee to the genitals causing her to suddenly tumble to the ground. Aaron lifted his spikey boots over Akane's face. Akane then rammed her katana full force into the boot, puncturing it, and making blood pour all over Akane's face. Aaron tumbled backwards onto the floor, twisting in pain. Akane picked herself up off the ground before walking to Aaron slowly. Akane started psychotically swinging her blade over and over. She swung her sword until she was too tired to do it anymore. That mess of gore and money was no longer recognizable as human. AARON IS DEAD!
CHAPTER 2
THE NEXT EVENING
Akane still wasn't satisfied. She sat on in her desk looking out of the huge window. The hot sun was setting on another day. Akane had gotten her revenge but as soon as she had killed Aaron, the passionate fighting spirit vanished again. She felt back to square one, but without one of her best friends. "Sure she was a bitch, but she was still there for me. I knew that deep down she cared about me the same way I cared about her." Akane said to a woman sitting next to her. The woman had long flowing white hair, despite this she was still very young. Her eyes were an unnatural pink. She wore a short black top that revealed the tattoo of a skull just underneath her neck. She wore a small black shorts with long white stockings. ASHLEY 2ND RANKED ASSASSIN Ashley spoke with a bit of an accent but couldn't put her finger on it. Russian? German? French? She didn't care anyway. "I see, I have had friends murdered as well, It will happen more and more as long as you stay in this cycle. It never gets easier. This cycle… It takes everything from you, like a venus flytrap it is only appealing on the outside, which keeps this cycle running." "Will this cycle ever stop?" Akane asked. "I don't think so, and that is what's so scary about it. Violence is in our nature, so is harming others. We have been turning pain into a sport since the ancient romans." Ashley replied. "I think I can save myself at least, by getting out of this cycle of violence. I can leave my old life behind and start a new one" Akane said after a pause. "I don't think so, assassins will hunt you, more and more friends and family will drop dead to lure you, your past will haunt you. There is only one way out."
Ashley stood up drawing two katanas at once, holding one at a high stance and the other at a low stance. A pink energy suddenly enveloped the swords, as Ashley twisted the handles like a motorbike. "Don't think i'll go easy on you. I'm going to die with dignity." Ashley said. Akane unsheathed her burning blade. "Don't worry, I'll do it for you! I won't let you down." Akane said clashing against Ashley's dual katanas. Ashley suddenly knocked Akane back with swords but Akane did not falter. Two katanas seemed to be greater than one as Ashley started to overpower Akane. Swords collided in a fast rhythm. Ashley danced around with her blades, packing loads of finesse. Ashley crossed her swords and Akane saw an opportunity, she grabbed both of the blades with her pink energy started to burn even through the gauntlet, despite this pain, Akane used her katana to quickly slice off one of Ashley's arms. Blood came gushing out as usual, with money riding out of it. Ashley held up her sword trying to act like nothing was wrong. Ashley continued to clash with Akane but she eventually just collapsed. "Long live the queen" Akane said making a peace symbol with her fingers. ASHLEY IS DEAD! "I know what I have to do now." Akane said coming to an important realization. Akane dialed a number into her phone.
CHAPTER 2
2 DAYS LATER
"Flight 201 nonstop from Japan to Crimson Beach has arrived." A lady said over the loudspeakers of the Crimson Beach airport. Among the odd characters getting off of the plane such as nerds and old folk, was a familiar young man. He had huge dyed blue hair tied up neat, with dark sunglasses. He wore an old long blue robe embroidered with pink japanese lettering for "cherry blossom". He carried in his suitcase a katana engraved with patterns of the wind and sea. RYOU SHOTA FORMER RANK 2 "I suppose its good to be back." Ryou said a little unsure. Ryou continued through the airport with haste, he had something to do.
1 HOUR LATER
Ryou parked his rental car at a popular japanese restaurant. It was the most authentic place in crimson beach city. The huge building was built like it was in the edo era. Though the food was good Ryou wasn't here to eat, he cooked his own food, and was very good at it. Ryou opened the fine wooden doors casually. The building's insides were dimly lit with candles and japanese lanterns, but from what Ryou could see the place was finely detailed, with little designs carved into the wooden framing. Each table held a small grill, for cooking at the table. While Ryou was observing the place a male waiter with both hands behind his back walked up to Ryou. "We were expecting you, the whole restaurant has been reserved." He said bowing. "Thank you…" Ryou said turning his back and walking away a few steps. Behind him the waiter silently drew dual chef's knives. A few seconds later Ryou spun around swinging his katana. The katana seemed to cut through the air itself and despite the blade not even touching the waiter, he fell in two pieces, with blood and yen spilling out. Ryou walked through what looked to be a dining room hallway. Ryou was about to walk around a corner when 3 waiters snuck out from behind a folding screen. Ryou spun around with his sword in a circle suddenly. The folding screen, a nearby paper lantern, and one of the tables were also cleaved in half in addition to the waiters.
Ryou walked around the corner to see a glass door to a courtyard on one side, illuminating this part of the dining room very well. Leaning on the other side was a middle aged woman who looked vaguely familiar. She had long black hair with red dyed tips and wore red contacts over her eyes. She wore a white robe stained red. SAKURA KATSUO? 2ND RANKED ASSASSIN "Well, I expected my daughter but you will have to do as the appetizer, stranger." She spoke in a motherly sternness. "Except that she isn't YOUR daughter, imposter." Ryou said. "Now what makes you say that?" Sakura asked. "Because If you were really Sakura you would have recognized me as the assassin who killed you years ago. If you need proof, that robe you are wearing isn't Sakura's. THIS is Sakura's robe. I picked it off her body years ago." Ryou said pointing to his old robe. Sakura fell silent as she broke eye contact with Ryou. "Don't think that means I won't fight you, I need my title back." Ryou said readying his katana.
Sakura whipped out two cleavers she was concealing under her robe. The cleavers suddenly lit ablaze as Sakura suddenly swung at Ryu. Ryu ducked just in time, as the cleaver flew out of Sakura's hand and lodged itself in a wooden beam. Sakura rolled over to the beam snatching it from the wall. Unfortunately the wood had already caught fire, soon consuming the whole wall in a red blaze. Ryu rolled slashed right through the nearby glass door and he rolled into the nicely manicured courtyard. Sakura jumped out after him, they clashed blades. The building around them was burning up fast, with black smoke rushing out of the courtyard entrance. Pushing against the block, Ryou made Sakura stumble back. Ryu slashed through the air but Sakura managed to backflip away. Sakura charged forwards with her cleavers swinging them wildly. Ryu took a deep breath before sliding right under Sakura's legs and slicing upwards. "Tell my daughter that I love her more than anyone else." Sakura managed to say before slicing completely in horizontal half. RYU SHOTA IS NOW RANK 2! Ryou said nothing as he sat down, took a breath and called the fire department.
CHAPTER 1
THE NEXT NIGHT
Ryou calmly stepped into the Beckoning Cat's lobby. The only person there was Akane, casually standing under the golden cat statue, arms crossed and waiting. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Akane said awkwardly. "I didn't halt my training in japan to make small talk, you could have done that over the phone..." Ryou started before Akane interrupted. "I know why you're here. I'm done trying to fill the loneliness in my life. I called you here because whether you realized it or not I cheated you out of a fair and square victory the first time we met. I'm going to give you a fair fight, no tricks." Akane tossed her revolver to the ground before taking off her gauntlets. Akane tossed her flaming sword to the side and unsheathed her old senshi no michi blade, restored and fixed with a pristine shine. Akane held the katana in a high stance smiling. "Show me what you've got Rank 2!" Ryou dropped his wind katana and picked up the Grand Tsubaki Blade that was originally his, before taking up a low stance.
Ryou and Akane ran and jumped at each other with such an immense force that it knocked them both back. They picked themselves up and ran at each other again. They caught in the middle, swords swinging and clashing against each other. The heat of the fight was intense, hot shavings of iron flew in each others faces. It was funny to Akane, despite all the changes and all the torment, here she was at the same point she was almost a year ago when she first fought Ryo. Their hearts seemed to beat as one as they swung in rhythm, almost like dancing. Sweat dripped from every pour of Akane's body, it was a battle of an endurance and Ryou had certainly more experience, despite this she didn't give up for a moment. Ryou went for a stab and Akane quickly blocked it with the blade of her sword. Instead of withdrawing his sword Ryou simply continued to push into Akane's blade. Suddenly the blade of Akane's katana started to crack, but Akane held steadfast. After a minute of pressing the blade gave up and broke into pieces. Ryou's blade sliced right through Akane's chest. Blood trickled down her smiling mouth. "Fuck…" she uttered. Ryou withdrew the sword carefully as Akane fell over. A volcano explosion of blood and 1 billion dollars from Akane's corpse covered the lobby. RYOU SHOTA IS NOW RANK 1! The cycle of violence ends today. Ryou took his katana in both of his hands, blade pointed to his stomach. Without hesitation Ryou forced the blade down through him. "I can finally be at peace." he said.