Disclaimer - I own nothing.
Chapter 10: The ambitions of the young
"Hey, Isamu, what are you looking at?"... "At you, of course!" A grin appeared... A young girl stuck out her tongue, "What is there interesting to see?"
"... You. How could I ever get bored of looking at you?" A young girl slightly blushed and hid her face behind a book, "Stupid Isamu...", "Haha" was followed by a laughter of a young man.
...
"Hey, Isamu! What are you spacing out for?" Arata called out to him.
Isamu trembled as he came back to reality. Arata looked at him and slightly furrowed his brow, "The bandit camp is before us. Don't forget you are the leader here."
Isamu then looked ahead and saw the abandoned village before him. All the bandits were running around like chickens who lost their heads. The bandits quickly retreated to their base and started setting up defences while grouping up all of the men from the patrols. They knew they wouldn't be able to run away, so their best bet was to get together what men were remaining and to engage in a defensive battle. After all, siege battles were always easier for the defenders rather than the attackers.
However, Isamu wasn't putting them in his eyes. He brought up his hand and touched the violet headband on his head and then turned around to the men behind him, "See those bandits behind us? None of them get out alive tonight. They are scum who steal children from their home, they are scum who steal wives from their husbands and they are scum who destroy peace. Tonight, all of it ends. We will end these bastards right here, right now!" Isamu roared.
All the men yelled in unison, "No one leaves alive!"
Isamu then turned around and chakra flared around his body, "Then what are you waiting for?" Isamu took his katana into both hands and was the first one to charge in.
"You are going to take up a guard position in our village?" Came a young girls voice.
A young man beat his chest, "I will be the wall which defends this village. And you." A young man said with a grin.
A young girl smiled slightly, "You don't look very reliable. Last time we met, I was the one saving you."
The young man lightly laughed, "Well... Last time was...Hehe"
The young girl went into another room, only her voice remaining, "Then I will count on you to protect me, brave hero."
Isamu's eyes narrowed while watching those bandits. Seeing those red bandanas a bestial light flashed in his eyes as he roared while approaching the first bandit. With a roar Isamu swung his katana and sent the first bandit falling backwards from his strength. Without stop Isamu then started swinging his katana at the surrounding bandits, taking one life after another.
A sigh came from the forest path, "Arata, I will leave him to you. Look after him, will you?" Akira asked gently while watching Isamu.
Arata nodded, "Leave him to me, what are you going to do?"
Akira looked at the warehouse, "I will sneak behind them and go to the warehouse to make sure they don't take any hostages." Akira then turned to Akemi, "Meanwhile, you can go search for the object you want."
Akemi nodded with a smile, "I will help you out first. I should do at least this much."
Akira smiled, "Its fine, I can take on a bandit or two. You go look for what you need."
Arata, seeing the battle heating up, unsheathed his katana, "Alright, I will leave the hostages to you. But be careful, just in case they have any hidden forces."
Akira nodded his head and the three people separated. Akemi went to search for her own clan's item, Akira dashed towards the warehouse while Arata charged towards the battlefield.
...
Blood spurted on Isamu's face as he cut down another bandit, blocked an attack and pushed away another bandit, before cutting in half a bandit who almost killed his comrade next to him. Another gush of blood spurted on Isamu's jacket from behind.
"Calm down, you are loosing yourself to your emotions." Arata's voice came from behind.
Isamu's hand trembled, "I know. I know... But when I see these bastards..."
Arata sighed, "You won't accomplish your goal if you die here. Go forward, I have your back, but don't forget that there are men following you.", After looking at Isamu, Arata already understood that the reason for Isamu's restlesness must have been a grudge. The man wanted revenge and his target were these bandits. As he also pursued revenge in the past he knew the feeling of rage. He knew how the anger was eating him alive, so Arata decided its best to simply guard Isamu's back instead of trying to restrict him.
"Ironic, in the past I was in Isamu's place and the old captain was in mine. I was charging forward, blinded by rage, while the old captain stood behind me, but now I am the one protecting another person who is doing the same... I just hope his end isn't the same as mine." Arata thought inside his head as he looked at Isamu's back.
Isamu took in a deep breath to calm his raging emotions and clashed with another bandit while proceeding forward, "What are you guys doing? Cut those bastards down already!" A roaring voice came from the back.
Isamu looked up and saw a burly man with a red bandana tied to his bicep. His anger ignited like when a match were to fall on a dry stack of hay, "Arata, guard my back. Guard it tight, because I don't think I can hold back for too long."
Arata also noticed the man. With a light inhale even more chakra surounded Arata as he cut down another bandit and started pushing away the bandits around Isamu, allowing him to go against the leader, "Then go." He said lightly. It was of no use of trying to restrict him. Arata knew that feeling first-hand and seeing the object of his anger before his eyes, it was like trying to restrict a mad dog with a single string of silk. It was just better to let go.
Isamu nodded, his eyes obscured by his hair. He gripped his katana and charged forward, evading the bandits and using chakra he jumped into the air and with a slash he clashed against the bandit leader. The bandit leader, surprised by Isamu's agile movements and high speed was surprised, "Che, so you are the leader."
Isamu's legs landed on the ground and with another burst of chakra he started pushing against the bandit leader, however, to his surprise a blue haze appeared around the bandit leader and he pushed back. The bandit leader grinned as he looked at Isamu, "You bastards keep the attackers occupied. Once I deal with their leader, their morale will fall and we will clean them up."
Isamu clenched his teeth, "Three years ago... Do you remember that village in the Land of Fire?"
The leader arched a single eyebrow, "What nonsesense are you talking about?"
Isamu's teeth clenched even tighter, "Three years ago, the village with the big old oak tree on the outskirts! Do you remember it?"
The leader let out a laugh after a second as realization came to him, "So you are one of those, huh? You came for revenge. Well, who can say, three years is a long time, I can't remember every single village I wiped out."
A bestial glare appeared in Isamu's eyes, "Then go to hell, maybe that will refresh your memories!" Isamu poured even more chakra into his limbs and started pushing the leader back.
Surprised, the leader roared as with a push he jumped back, creating some distance between him and Isamu. However, Isamu wouldn't let him have enough time and charged forward, blade in hand. In a short burst of speed Isamu closed the distance and swung his sword horizontaly, but despite his size, the leader was agile and jumped over the blade. A grin formed on his lips as while descending he smashed down with his sword.
Isamu was slightly surprised but didn't let it last as he rolled to the side, avoiding the attack that smashed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The bandit didn't want to let Isamu regain his bearings and stance, so he charged out of the cloud of dust and swung his sword again. The blades locked together, but Isamu was inferior in strength and was pushed back, his feet sliding back, leaving behind two straigth lines on the ground.
Isamu clenched his teeth as he felt his arms tremble from the pain and, once a shadow appeared over his face, he looked up, seeing the bandit leader before him again. Strangely, Isamu's head cooled down slightly as he looked at the bandit leader's vicious eyes. With an inhale he side stepped the attack and jumped back. After a second Isamu controlled his breathing and regained his stance while looking at the bandit leader, this time his eyes were more composed.
The bandit leader seemed slightly surprised seeing Isamu calm down so quickly, "Hey,hey, did you run out of gas? Was your anger only so much? Then the person I killed probably didn't mean much to you, huh?" The bandit let out a laugh, trying to enrage Isamu again, cloud his judgement.
Isamu looked straight into the leader's eyes, making him feel uncomfortable, "You aren't him." Isamu stated a fact. The leader was slightly surprised, but Isamu only continued, "For three years I chased that bastard, I don't know how he looks, but I heard enough rumours about him. No matter how I look at it, you are not the leader from three years ago. Tell me, where is the previous leader of this gang!" Isamu narrowed his eyes.
The bandit leader seemed surprised but then only a sneer appeared on his face, "Make me." were the only words to come out. Isamu inhaled as his chakra became controlled instead of raging like a wild beast. He then looked at the bandit leader with chilling eyes, "As you wish."
With a burst of speed Isamu charged at the bandit leader. The bandit leader also charged forward and because he was bigger, his reach was also longer so he started a strike against Isamu. Seeing the incoming blade, strangely, Akira's teaching flashed before his eyes.
"Why do you idiots always clash head-on? Why waste the strength and energy? If you can dodge, then dodge, why waste time engaging in power struggles." Akira's clear and calm voice came to him.
Unexpectedly, Isamu then dropped to the ground and slid forward like in a football slide tackle. When he dodged the blow Isamu stopped and jumped to his feet, stabbing with his sword. Blood spurted out as the leader was surprised by Isamu's sudden change in combat style and he didn't dodge in time and his left arm was impaled by Isamu's sword.
The bandit unleashed an enraged roar as he wanted to knee Isamu in the gut, but Isamu used his own feet to stamp down on the leader's and then channeled all his chakra into his limbs and with a spin, painfully tore off the leader's left arm.
The bandit leader roared in pain as his body trembled, his mind became clouded and he didn't know whether to grab his arm, run or continue fighting. However, Isamu wasn't in a merciful mood. A second later even more pain came to the bandit as Isamu quickly cut off his right leg, toppling the leader, while he screamed again.
The leader fell to the ground, dropping his sword and he only held onto his missing left arm. Isamu came forward, stepped on the bandits chest roughly, making him cough and stabbed his katana next to the bandits neck, "Where. Is. The. Previous. Leader?" Isamu asked slowly.
The bandit only looked at Isamu's cold eyes, terrified.
...
"Shit, what do we do? The battle outside is turning for the worse." A bandit's yell came.
"Calm down, if you start panicking then you will surely die. First things first, we need insurance. Lets go to the warehouse to grab some hostages and then we will leave." A bandit said. The other bandit quickly agreed as they both ran towards the warehouse.
Not a second later three kunai flew down, killing one bandit, while Akira landed on the other bandit's shoulders and twisted his neck upside down, then he jumped up and descended to the ground, "In the end, you were the one panicking the most. Did you forget the fierce battle? Did you think anyone would pay attention to a single bandit? You should have just ran." Akira said quietly.
Akira then turned towards the warehouse and with a sigh he boosted his body with chakra and jumped towards the roof. Akira landed on the roof and quietly went inside, landing on a steel beam.
"So, what do we do now?" Came a gruff voice of a man.
"We were told to deal with these idiots either way, we got what we wanted. Though its unexpected that these guys are the ones who came. Do they know or is it just a coincidence? Either way, we should leave before we are spotted" Came the vibrant and lively voice of a young woman.
"Wait, Tsubaki. I think its a little too late for that." From the shadows turned around a vicious looking man. The man had a bare chest, a wild mane of hair and was walking around with bare feet. Along with his aura the man seemed like a wild animal, however, it seemed like it was more than just his looks. The man looked around as he sniffed the air and then turned towards Akira's hidding position with a smile.
"Looks like we have a little rat in here." The man let out a wild laugh, "Come here, little rat, I have some cheese for you. "
Akira knew hidding was pointless so he came out of the shadows, albeit still remaining on the steel beam. As he watched those two Mikado's subordinates, he put on a smile, "It seems we meet again."
Tsubaki, seeing the youth before her, had a bitter look appear on her face, however, she hid it and a very charming smile replaced it, "Hello again, Akira. If I didn't know better, I would say you are stalking me" Tsubaki let out a small chuckle.
Akira smiled amiably, not revealing even a fraction of his true thoughts, "You are a very charming woman. It would be hard for men to resist you."
Tsubaki blushed slightly as she heard an unexpected comment, but quickly hid it, "A smooth talker, I see."
Wolf grinned viciously, "Hey, if you want to mate with him, then go do it quickly, otherwise I will pound him into a pancake right now."
Tsubaki blushed fiercely, "Whats with that vulgar language?" She wanted to go on a rampage and curse the hell out of Wolf, but eventually restrained herself.
Wolf let out a laugh, "Isn't it fine? In the wild, if the animals find someone they like, they do it then and there, they aren't restricted by some petty thoughts."
Tsubaki turned a vicious glare at Wolf, like a demon ready to drag him to hell, "Why the hell do you think I would want to mate with him? How about you shut up already?"
Wolf backed up slightly, "Got it, got it, sheesh women are seriously scarier than any beast in the wild, right, little rat?" He said with a laugh.
Akira only continued standing there with his amiable smile, "I do agree that what you said was a little... Distasteful."
A giant vein bulged on Tsubaki's forehead as her glare intesified and illusionary flames from hell along with the devil appeared behind her, "What do you mean "Distasteful"? Am I so ugly?"
Akira backed up with a small laugh, "A misunderstanding. What I meant was... The wrong time. Yes, right now isn't the time for such things."
Tsubaki sneered at him, however, Wolf let out another laugh, "Well, enough fun and games. We should probably end this, I can hear the battle outside ending slowly."
Akira smirked, "You are both strong. If we were to fight, I wouldn't be able to win, however, do you think you can kill me before my comrades arrive? If so, then please try, if not, then I wonder who will not be leaving this place tonight."
Wolf grinned viciously and was about to put that to the test, but Tsubaki extended her hand. She knew first hand how dangerous Akira seemed despite his innocent appearance. She knew most of her weapons wouldn't work and she would have to mostly relly on Wolf. However, just rellying on him, would he really be able to kill Akira before reinforcements arrive? Her memories flashed back to the 20 men who could use chakra and she realized that if they did arrive, she and Wolf would surely die. They would be able to take out the bigger portion of them, but she was Mikado's ally, not his zealous follower, she had no intention of selflessly sacrificing herself, so she decided to retreat.
She then stared at Akira with a bitter look, "Twice... This is twice that he has humiliated me now... Hmph, just watch how I deal with you in the future." She thought inside her head. She then remembered that she said the exact same words the last time and got even angrier and with a stomp of her feet quickly left.
Wolf, although he wasn't the brightest, had very good instincts and danger perception. He mostly thought along the same lines as Tsubaki, plus, as he stared at Akira his instincts told him that the young man wasn't as simple as he seemed, he only tried to go forward because he had a lot of pride in his strength, but when Tsubaki left, eventually he also decided to drop the matter. He looked Akira up and down and revealed a big toothy grin, "Hey, how is that little tiger holding on?" He asked.
Akira was surprised by the question, "Little tiger?" He asked.
"You know, the strong guy who swings around his sword like a wild tiger." Wolf continued with his grin.
Akira couldn't associate the comparison of a tiger with his current teammates, but once he recalled how Isamu told him abut Arata's fight, he understood that Wolf was talking about Arata. Akira then smiled, "He is doing rather well. Thanks to you he has a lot of motivation to train and it seem like he wants a rematch with you really badly."
Wolf let out a laugh, "Is that so? So the little tiger is sharpening his fangs. Good. Very good. When we meet in the future let me have a go at him, he seems like a fun adversary."
Akira nodded his head, "Yes, until then, do please keep your head on your shoulders. Arata seems interested in it." Wolf wanted to let out a laugh, but when he looked at Akira's eyes he noticed that something was wrong. In the very depths of Akira's eyes a slightly cold light shone for the briefest of moments. It appeared and disappeared like a flickering light, but it was enough to send a cold shiver down Wolf's spine.
He stood in silence, but eventualy a grin formed on his face, "Will do. See ya later..." He said with a laugh and then turned around and left.
Neither side wanted to engage today. Akira had his reinforcements coming, so Tsubaki and Wolf didn't want to die while taking down Akira with them. Meanwhile, Akira knew he didn't have enough strength to stop them at the moment, so he only watched. However, a smile was on his face, as if there was no problems at all. This only meant that his suspicions came true and Mikado was indeed planning something nasty in the dark. Right now, he only moved on from local bandits to more organized and larger groups. Whatever it was, it wasn't good, nor small in scale.
Outside, Tsubaki and Wolf appeared, standing on a branch. Both of them looked back at the warehouse, they had their own thoughts.
"We got spotted. What now?" Wolf asked, a rare serious expression on his face.
Tsubaki shrugged, "Nothing we can do, its not like we could have predicted this flow of events. Lets just report this to Mikado." Tsubaki felt bitter inside about being humiliated twice, but when she glanced at Wolf and saw his serious expression, she raised one eyebrow, "What is it? Its rare for you to frown like that."
Wolf stood there with a frown. It was a truly rare thing and Tsubaki hasn't seen him with such an expression until now. Most of the time he acted like a barbarian and did as he pleased, even while fighting, he seemed to enjoy himself. However, she had never seen him with a frown.
"That little rat... Is no rat." Wolf said slowly.
Tsubaki sneered, "Of course he is not. I fought against him, so I know first-hand that he is not simple."
Wolf shook his head, "I saw something appear in his eyes and I got this strange feeling..."
Tsubaki was surprised. She always thought that Wolf was stupid, but she respected him because of his strength and instinct.
"That rat... Is no rat, he is a monster." Wolf said with a solemn expression.
Tsubaki shivered seeing the solemn and serious aura around Wolf. Eventually she let out a small laugh, "You said the same thing about Mikado."
Wolf shook his head, "They're different. Mikado was a human, but he got twisted and turned into a monster after he was abandoned. Mikado is a monster born from hate and malice. That guy, Akira... He has something wrong with him. He was born with something missing in him. That guy... Just for an instant, but once I looked into his eyes, all my instincts, my body, my mind, everything told me to run away from that monster as far as possible."
Tsubaki truly felt something cold go down her spine. She knew that Wolf was strong. She knew his instincts were very sharp. For Wolf's instincts to deliver such a warning to him, just what was hidden behind that amiable smile?
Wolf smilled bitterly, "That guy, he seems like a good guy. But I can tell from a glance, that guy is a monster from birth."
...
The battle had ended. With Akira watching over the warehouse no bandits could get in and take hostages and when Isamu disposed of the leader, the bandits were also quickly taken care of. The Hinode members suffered varying degrees of injuries, but fortunately, no one died. In the end, all that was left was to clean up and secure the kidnapped people, waiting for the nearest stationed shinobi to appear and take over.
Isamu sat on a cliff overlooking a giant green forest, his hair let down and his headband in his hands, looking at it with a dazed expression, "That person was very important to you it seems." Akira said as he went next to Isamu and sat down.
"Getting revenge... We will not stop you, but at least remember that there are people following behind you. Don't drag them down with you. I am sure that person would also want you to live." Arata came next to him, but still scolded him a little. Isamu had the right to get revenge, but now that they were a team, someone had to remind him that he held the lives of other people in his hands.
Isamu's body stiffened, "You guys knew all along, huh?" He asked.
Arata nodded without hesitation, "I know the look you had in your eyes a while ago. I saw the same look in the mirror many years ago. When I look at you I don't see someone who felt wronged, but someone who has a broken heart. That's why what you pursue revenge because of another person. I can tell, because I was the same."
Isamu let a small, lifeless smile appear on his face, "A she. That person was a she. Her name was Shizuka - the only love in my life."
Akira nodded his head silently, "So you began adventuring for the sake of getting revenge for this Shizuka." Akira said quietly.
A helpless smile formed on Isamu's face, remembering the past, "Not really. I was an adventurer way before I met her. In the past, there was this old gramps who lived in my village. He would always tell stories of ninja who can jump above trees, spit out balls of fire and vanish into thin air. As small brats, once we heard the stories, fires were lit in me and my friends. We wanted to go out and make something of our lives, so once we grew up a little, we put our money together to buy some equipment, joined a mercenary group and left the village..."
"... For a few years we travelled together, but reality was cruel. It came crashing down on us and me and my friend's dreams shattered once we realized how the world was really like. One day, after a mission, I was all bruised and battered and I was sitting under this old oak tree. I was thinking what I was doing with my life, chasing those stupid childish dreams... Then I met her. This quiet, plain and simple girl from a village came to the oak tree and when she saw me, she treated my injuries. Once I saw her, I knew that my journey wasn't without meaning. It was a journey so I could meet her. At first glance I fell in love. There was no reason or timing, I just saw her and fell in love."
"...She didn't really stand out. Her looks were average, she didn't like wearing flashy clothes and she was very quiet. Every single day, she would get up, clean the house, make some food and depending on the weather, she would either go to the old oak tree or to the village library and she would read books. A plain and average girl, but I loved her. I loved how she would sing a tune while making food, I loved how she would make some silly dances when she thought no one saw her and then she would get embarrased and stick out her tongue at me and I loved that she was a crybaby who would burst into tears when reading sad books or smile like an idiot while reading happy endings, or how she would furrow her brows when reading difficult books, but I couldn't tear my eyes off of her when watching her read those books. I could watch for many hours. She liked books, she liked peace and silence, she liked the smell of fresh air in the mornings. Even today, I can still remember it. During evenings she would sit on the porch and read her books, while I would sleep on her lap. I could never get enough of it, back then I felt truly at peace, like I found my true home."
"After we met, I left our mercenary band and I stayed in that village. I took up a guard post and I would spend my days like that. I would watch her read those books, I would get to eat her food once I returned after my shift. It was a simple life, nothing heroic, but I liked it. However, one day, problems arose in the fields. Apparently, a few boars were tearing up the fields. As the guard, I ran into the fields to deal with it, however, once I looked back I saw smoke rising from the village. I ran back as fast as I could, praying to god and every deity there was, that they would protect her. I ran back and there she was, in the same spot where she always read her books. But I knew..." Isamu's eyes moistened as his grip around the bandana tightened, "I knew I would never hear her humming those tunes, I would never see her make those silly dances, I would never get to watch her make those many faces while reading books. Thats because some bastard pierced a sword through her heart... After the destruction, all that was left were a few bandit corpses with red bandanas on their arms. The same bandanas these guys wore. Ever since that day, I picked up my sword again and I set out, traveling across the countries, tracking them, gathering information and allies. Eventually, I met you guys. That's my simple and stupid story." He finished with a small laughter. At the end a few tears rolled down Isamu's cheeks, but he simply wiped it away as he looked at the bandana.
"Back by the old oak tree, she didn't have any bandages, so she used this to cover my wounds. Now, this is all I have left to remember her." Isamu looked at the bandana and eventually let out a sigh and slowly stood up.
"Haaah, facing off against these guys got me so emotional, I even spit out my story like that, Its embarrasing, haha" He said with a ligh laugh.
Arata shook his head, "To care for another person and to lose them, I know how it feels. When I was at my lowest, I had an old captain watch over me, protect and guide me. You don't have to worry, I... We will have your back. You can go ahead and get your revenge, me and Akira will make sure no one interrupts."
Isamu smiled slightly, "...Thanks..."
Akira let a smile come form his lips, "So... With these guys wiped out what else is left?"
Isamu sighed, "Apparently, you and the bartender were right. There guys did have a friends in the shadows. From what the leader told me, the Blood Hounds were only a small branch of an organization run by a drug lord named Gato. Turns out, this guy has been running this slavery business for years and has many groups under him doing all the dirty work. Now, he has taken control of the Land of Waves, setting up his base there and he is bringing together all his men. I don't know which bastard killed Shizuka, so I can only kill all the Blood Hound members and the last one remaining is the previous leader. Turns out, that guy proved his worth to Gato a year back and got promoted and is now working directly under him. I kill the bastard along with Gato and then my revenge will finally be complete."
Akira nodded with a thoughtful expression, "Taken over Wave, huh?"
Isamu, "Yeah, but its a little bit hard with our numbers."
Akira shook his head, "No, its a good chance, I believe."
Arata and Isamu were surprised as they looked at Akira. Arata frowned slightly, "Our group may be strong, but we are injured and we don't have enough men to take on a force that can control the Land of Wave."
Akira nodded, "We can build up our strength with training. However, if we go to Wave, many opportunities await us there. If we save the villagers, our reputation will soar, making us the number one mercenaries. Plus, if we can get the wealth of a giant drug lord like Gato, we won't have to worry about money for a long while and we can train our men and increase our numbers quietly, while looking out for news about Mikado. Lets not forget that Isamu will also get his revenge finally."
Arata and Isamu seemed uncertain for a while. Isamu wanted revenge, but he already waited for three years, he wasn't suicidal, he could wait a little bit more. Arata also thought along the same lines. Akira seeing the hesitation smiled helplessly, "Don't misunderstand me, I am not saying to go right now. We can recover and train our men on the way. There is no rush to get there. Plus, we can get some additional recruits from the kindapped people here. I am sure that some of them are homeless or are in dire straits, so we can also increase our numbers."
Eventually the two thought it over and nodded their heads, albeit reluctantly. Akira seemed to have great confidence in taking down this drug lord and they knew that Akira wasn't the rash type, but was the planning type so it wouldn't hurt. Although, Isamu, was also influenced by his revenge, which was so very close at this point and Arata's confidence in Akira was already steadily increasing as he was constantly proving his abilities. It wasn't to the point where he believed him easily, but at least Akira proved that if he said something, then they definitely have a real chance in succeeding.
"Can you guys also count me in?" Came Akemi's voice from the side.
Akira looked to the side and saw Akemi standing there, a frown on her face. He immediately understood, "I guess you didn't find your items here?"
Akemi shook her head with an annoyed frown, "No, nothing. But you guys said that these guys work for Gato, which means this bastard must have received all the items that these guys plunder, right? If so, then there is a chance he has what's mine, so I want in." It was a request, but it was weirdly demanding. Like she was going to join the group either way and she was only asking for the sake of courtesies, which made all the men feel weird.
Akira looked over the young miss and smirked, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop her so he sighed, "We would be more than happy to have you with us, Akemi." Eventually he smiled.
Akemi also grinned, "Jeez, does he always talk like this?"
Isamu let out a laugh from the side, "Don't worry, you get used to it. Lets go, gramps, you should let those old bones of yours rest."
Akira let out a small chuckle, "Ahh, the younglings these days."
Arata also smirked, "If you are an old man, then what am I?"
Akira looked him over with an appraising glance, "A fossil."
Arata let out a small laugh, "Last time I checked I was only 25."
Isamu let out another laugh, "Careful, the wind might push you down, you old bastard."
Arata only smiled, he knew that Isamu was slightly older than him, but didn't say anything.
Chapter End
Thank you for reading the chapter. Please leave a review with your opinion, I love knowing what you guys think. With that, this chapter is over, see you next time *wink*.