Author Note : I have returned with Chapter 43! How's everyone been doing? Like I said from the author note of the previous chapter, this chapter will be a tiny bit darker and maybe the next few chapters will be as well.

The month February has reached over 3,1K views, a whole new monthly record and I'm glad more people are taking interest of my story. I would also like to say that this story has managed to past over a milestone of 50,000 views and is close of reaching 100 favorites and 90 follows. I am very happy to see how much this story has grown and it's all thanks to you guys. Okay, let's get this show on the road.


Chapter 43 : Disregarded Purpose

Walking... just keep walking, that's all I know and must do, the place that I'm in is very unearthly and yet... so dark and empty. I don't know what just happened, all I remembered was taking a slumber just then and suddenly found myself waking up in this place. It felt like it's been hours... no, it felt more like days of walking and wondering in this forsaken dark place that I don't have any clue of where it is or what it is.

I stopped dead as my body froze in utter shock, both of my knees fell down to the dark opaque ground before I screamed in frustratio. At front me stood a very familiar and broken wooden sign with a simple looking black arrow on it pointing towards at a certain direction. When I first woke up and found myself in this dark and unknown plane, the wooden sign was the only object I could see and the black arrow of the sign has told me to go at a direction wanted me to head at... and after days of nonstop walking, it lead me back here. While my knees are still on the ground, my hand formed into a tight fist as I slammed it on the hard and opaque ground.

"FUCK!" I screamed. A low chortle can be heard, and it doesn't sound like a good one either, the voice was incredibly similar to how my voice sounds like, the only difference os that it's slightly deeper in away and a bit... 'menacing'. I made a swift swivel, checking and trying to see if where does that strange chortle had came from. I looked behind and my heart rate has nearly doubled. At front me, stood a figure over a few meters away and it looks like a... human?!

I stood up and was about to get closer to get a better look. Its face and body was covered by the shadows of the this unknown dark plane I'm in. Suddenly, I sensed a very familiar and... cold and malicious aura emitting from the person as well. Once the figure gotten close enough, I was able to get a good and better look at the figure.

Upon seeing the human, my eyes widened. My jaw dropped while I emitted a sharp gasp in absolute shock and confusion. The human who was right at front of me has wore the exact same attire as I am when during my first days when I was transported to this world. What scares me the most is its physical appearance has the literal same copy of how my physical appearance is. The only difference of this faker is that its skin tone are far more darker than mine, it has slightly spiked-up crimson red hair instead of having mine brown hair. The most striking difference of all is its scleras were black as a void and the pupils were glowing blood red instead of being blue.

As I continued to stare at it, the figure spread an unnatural and crooked long smile, revealing its sharp teeth. That unnatural crooked smile of it had sent several chills straight down in my entire spine. I began to have a bad feeling about this and soon put on my fighting stance while placing a highly cautious look on my face.

"W-Who... Who the fuck are you?!" I demanded loudly. The figure merely laughed.

"Ouch, you've hurt my feelings, you know." The copied version of me spoke with a slightly distorted and warped voice. I growled.

"SHUP UP! Just answer my question, you goddamn faker!" I demanded, louder and sharpening my fighting stance. The figure let out a sign and shook its head while tisking.

"How uncaring of you, don't you know me at all?" The figure said. I eventually gave in to my pressure and charged a two-handed Hadoken while holding it on my both palms.

"LAST CHANCE, TELL ME WHO YOU ARE NOW!" I threatened, concentrating the Ki energy even more.

"Do it, if you must." The figure merely did a small hand gesture with a cocky sneer on his face. Not hesitating, I pushed out my both palms, firing and hurling the energy blast as my Hadoken went flying at the figure.

Shockingly, the figure caught my Hadoken with its bare hand and crushed the energy blast. H-How?! This faker here managed to 'crush' the energy blast. What the hell is this being, how in God's name did it did that?

"Your skills with the Hadoken are very astounding and well-trained with excellent control and great precision. But still, it is not enough. I am a bit disappointed." The figure nodded its head horizontally while it was lowered.

"Quit acting like your my master!" I narrowed my eyes sharper.

"You mean that old fool, what is his name again? Ah, now I remember, was it Gouken? Your previous dear master who had ceased to live and failed to welcome you and your two brothers when the three of you returned to his dojo?" After hearing him affronting my previous master, I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth.

"Don't you dare speak about him with such disrespect!" I shouted, lunging forward and send a downward punch at the other me. The figure grabbed me by my wrist of my speeding fist with mad speed and accuracy before it kicked me hard on my knee, countering my attack as I fell on my whole back. I got up and was about to launch more attacks at the figure, but I couldn't as I felt something that I couldn't see and could only make up that it felt like hands, which grabbed me by my both biceps, forearms, lower thighs and both ankles. "What the hell is this? Let me go!" I struggled.

"Calm yourself you fool, struggling will not do anything." The figure walked closer to me and sat down on the void-like ground with its both leg crossed. I didn't care what he has said as I continued to struggle, trying to get free from these... 'unseeable' hands. The figure sighed in irritation as it stood up and walked even closer to me. "Quit your squirming and listen, will you!" The figure then stood up and punched me in the face.

"You'll pay for that!" I began struggling far more harder than before while yelling, I then felt one of the unseeable hands on my right bicep has moved to my mouth. It began muffling me by covering my mouth and nose, making me unable to speak and breathe.

"Will you just please listen to me." I merely responded by glowering at the figure. "If not, then I wouldn't mind ripping off your entire jaw." It threatened. After a short moment, I felt the unseeable hand let of my whole face and went back on restraining my right bicep as I start coughing and taking in heavy breaths.

"Alright, since I now know that you can kill me at any moment, guess I have no choice but to listen." Breath after breath, I managed to calm myself down for good. "I'll listen, but after when you tell just who are you and why have taken the attire and the physical appearance of me during more than a year ago?!" I asked, holding back my frustration.

"You must be joking, do you even have a clue of who I am?" The figure crossed its both arms. I shook my head slowly in saying 'no'. "The answer to your question is very simple ; I am you." The figure pointed its finger at me.

"Huh?" I raised a brow in confusion before I slowly starting to get what the figure meant. "No! That's impossible, you just... you just can't BE me!" The faker then glared at me with a serious look on its face.

"I am you, Lukas. I was born from all the amount of negative feelings that you've experienced, such as your sadness, anger, fear, sorrow, despair and frustration. All of those negative feelings were just little pieces to clustered and filled up my being. The three main and most important 'ingredients' that made me exist was from you tapping into the full extend of the Satsui No Hado, that dark vengeance of yours and not to mention with that ravaging hatred you have that you've held towards to a certain man." The figure explained. After hearing what it said, I was speechless as my head lowered down with my eyes widened and sweat were starting to form. I slightly got my equanimity back before speaking. After a short of moment of carefully thinking, I eventually then accepted the fact that this faker at front of me... is me.

"What do you want from me?" I muttered.

"I want you to focus back on your revenge. The only way to get your revenge on the one named Akuma who murdered your beloved parents and master, is to get stronger, and by that, you will need to start embracing the Satsui No Hado." The figure answered.

"But I-I... uhh-"

"Don't tell me that you've forgotten about that purpose." It disdained.

"No, of course I have not forgotten such an important purpose. I still want that son of a bitch Akuma dead even now at this very moment that we're speaking of him." I replied.

"But, your hatred for him were far more stronger back then. Ever since you've started living in this world that you've been transported by an 'unknown entity' that I couldn't identify. Ever since you start living your 'new life' here, you have began to change and eventually... 'mellow down'."

"I have not changed nor have forgotten about my purpose, I... I just needed more time to study and anatomize the Satsui No Hado before I can start training with it."

"That's it? An excuse?" The other me shouted in slight irritation. I tried to respond back, but it cut me off. "Enough with your petty excuses, Lukas! Just look at you, a pathetic man like you who now seeks comfort in this delusional world that you are in. You have forgotten about your own world and is currently now abandoning and running away from your life's purpose." It continued. "What makes this even worse is that with the amount of time that you have spent here in this world had pushed you to a point where you became exceedingly both socially and emotionally attached to these inhabitants of this world that you now considered them as your now new family. And to the part where you have taken me by full surprise with such disgust that I thought you wouldn't dare of doing as you begin to develop feelings towards this so-called 'woman' that you perceived as, who is a ferocious man-eating tiger! What is wrong with you?!" It paused as it looked me with utter disgust. "Have being in this world for this long had contorted your mind this much about having a having feelings for a different species? Come to your blasted senses, you blind simpleton. Just take a good look at yourself!" After hearing what it had said, I felt absolutely speechless as a part of me was feeling the guilt was building up inside while the other half part of me is denying all of this.

"No, it's not like that! You've clearly got everything completely wrong here!" I replied, denying all of his words. "And about Tigress, she is not this 'ferocious man-eating tiger' like how you think of." I took a deep breath before speaking. "Hell... I don't even care anymore if she's human or not, all I know is that she's a very wonderful person and her personality is the most 'charming' part of who she is." I loudly added as I defended my best friend with a quick and defensive retort.

"So, it would seems that you do have developed feelings for her." The other me raised an eyebrow, signing with its head lowered before raising it. "You have changed, Lukas." It muttered. "You definitely have changed, it disappoints me to see that this is what you had become of when staying in this world for too long." The figure spoke in disappointment. "Tell you what, after you wake up from this, just leave."

"Huh?" I uttered, confused. It sighed.

"Once you wake up from this, get up and grab the Scroll Of Ansatsuken. After that, leave the Jade Palace before the morning gong rang across the Student Barrack without anyone knowing. Once you left, go somewhere else far away from the Valley Of Peace." It repeated, with more details.

"Why should I?" I questioned, not liking this idea coming from my other self.

"So I could help you get that revenge of yours that you have desired so much ever since you were a young child."

"Then what will you gain after you 'helped' me get my revenge on Akuma?"

"By helping you, you and I must connect, merge and become one! But of course, I will grant you complete excess to my powers and abilities. I will also let you take full control of the 'merged body' of us both and I will be assisting you mentally and physically, does this sounds fair?" It smiled deviously.

"Enough with your twisted offer, why are you so fixated on me? Just what are you trying to gain from me?" I declined its offer as I want to know what does it want from me.

"All I ever wanted was to fight Akuma, just like how much you hated him and wanted to kill him. Because when we both merged with each other and become one, I will be able to feel the intense adrenaline rush of the fight of us two battling the Master Of The Fist. Just imagining this the immeasurable amount of thrills of the battle is going to make me twitch. I just can't help it, I am born this way." As the figure said the word 'twitch', it did as its left eye had twitched in a curving-like manner as was accompanied with an unsettling smile, disturbing me by seeing that.

"Your a nothing but a warped fiend!" I shouted, still unable to move with these unseeable hands which are still gripping on my limbs tightly.

"What? Do you not trust me?" It smiled again while slowly raising its both hands defensively.

"Why should I trust demons like you." I responded contemptuously with a scowl.

"It is alright, but reflect well on this decision of yours." I then felt the unseeable hands had go of themselves, allowing me to move my body. "Because something will happened and once after that happens, you will come, seeking out for me and my power." It chortled.

"I will never seek you out, and most of all, I hope I will never get to see you ever again." I narrowed my eyes at the figure as it turned and began walking, dwelling into the shadows of this dark and empty plain.

"I will head back, doing my own business and wait for you in the mean time and maybe we'll see each other again next time sooner or later. But for now at this moment, I strongly suggest you to began your studies over the Satsui No Hado. If not, I will just give you some little pushes, just to motivate you and keep you going. Do not worry yourself, because no matter how much you deny and push me away, I know you will eventually come back and seek for me one day. I suppose I shall bid you farewell for now... partner." The figure soon emitted an echoing, loud and sinister laugh as the its laugher later on slowly faded away in the shadows.

Suddenly, I felt my mind went full blank as I lose my balance and fell headfirst on the empty ground, before I could start hearing a fainting, yet distinctive metallic ringing from a direction that I can't seemed to make off. The metallic soon got louder and louder, until a bright brilliant light has shined itself on me from above, blinding my whole vision and other of my senses. I assume I am going to finally waking up, escaping from this dark, grim and dreadful plain filled with only pure emptiness.


GONG!

As the metallic ringing got clearer, my eyes flashed itself open as I lifted my whole upper body up from my hard bamboo bed. I looked around as I felt cold sweat dripping down from my forehead. I soon began pinching myself to see if I'm back to reality or not. After I pinched myself, I was able to feel the twisting pain on my forearm that I was hoping to feel. Was... was that a dream? A vision? A rare type of a mental visual sense that I've just got? I have no idea, all I know is that dream of mine felt unbelievably real, especially when it felt like days in there and I actually felt the pain when that being in their had gave my face a hard punch.

After a short moment of careful thinking, I then decided that it's best and wise if I stop thinking about that dream and take my mind off of it with some training today. A split second later, I heard everyone got out from their beds. I quickly wore back my clothing before I and the rest of the others rushed out from each of our room.

"Good morning, Master Shifu." We all greeted the senior red panda with our arms behind our backs. As the red panda walked by, he glanced me like something was a bit odd. Shifu then ignored it before greeting us all.

"Good morning, students." He greeted all of us as usual. "As usual, proceed to the Training Hall and hone your skills until the sun sets." We all nodded as we began to make our way to the Training Hall, as everyone left the Student Barrack, I was the last to exit the bunkhouse, being one or two seconds late. "Is everything alright, Master Lukas?" Shifu asked just as I was about to exit the Student Barrack. I turned around at him.

"Of course I'm alright, just woke up from a good sleep from last night." I assured.

"When you exit your room and greeted me with the rest of the others at the same time, I felt that your voice wasn't completely synced with the others. Is there something bothering you, care to tell me?" The red panda gestured one of his paws while raising an eyebrow.

"Perhaps I may have slept in a bad position, just a few parts of my body is a bit sore, but it's fine, I'm sure the little strains on my body will wear off soon with some training." I assured before leaving the Student Barrack.

During training, I'm currently in the training area of the Gauntlet Of Wooden Warriors to continue to enhance and sharpen my reaction, senses and precision. Every time I hit and counter the wooden hands with punches and palm strikes, all of them spins faster and faster.

"Your deflecting skills are improving, nice work." I heard a voice and it belongs to Mantis. Since I couldn't see the green bug.

"Thanks." I replied back while still hitting and dodging the wooden hands. "Why don't you come in and join the fun." I suggested. Soon, I hear multiple wooden hands has been struck at once.

"Game on, the one who lose will pay for lunch in this weekend." Mantis said.

"Fair enough." I nodded.

Several minutes of dodging, striking and countering these spinning wooden hands had did quite a number on my stamina and endurance. My attacks and reaction are decreasing each time I block and evade. I was able to get a good look on how Mantis is doing, the green bug did show some sigh of tiredness, but his performance were still fast and sharp as ever, almost like his stamina is perfectly still at one-hundred percent. I was getting tired, until a wooden hand managed to smack me on my lower back, 'waking' me up from the fatigue of my body. I refocused back and continued blocking and countering... before hearing a very low whisper, which sounded familiar.

"You should pay more attention around your surroundings." I felt the hushed voice whispered in my both ears, catching off my guard.

"Wha-" I couldn't finish what I was uttering as a spinning wooden hand had struck me on my jawline, causing me to stumble into another spinning wooden hand as it struck me on my sternum. My whole body is getting smacked by the wooden punches. The last spinning dummy struck and flung my whole body out from the wooden dummy area. I was on the wooden floor in soar pain. Mantis approached me.

"It would seemed that you have lost, I hope you'll pay for lunch in this weekend." The praying mantis chuckled before heading back to the training area. I slowly lift myself up and sat on the wooden floor. After the soar pain has subsided, my whole body has recovered itself over time. A worrisome serpent slithered as she approached me by the left side. With me sitting on the floor, the serpent's height was around my neck level.

"You rarely lose your focus in training these days, Lukas. Is there something bothering you?" Viper asked with a concern.

"Nothing, maybe I'm a bit dehydrated, I suppose." I ensured. "Actually, I think I'm going to use the bathroom at the moment, getting a glass of water and maybe washing my face would help."

"Alright then, if there anything you would like to discuss, you know I'm all ears." I smiled at her caring nature. I stood up to my feet and exited the Training Hall, making few turns over these halls before I found a nearby bathroom. I slid open the sliding door of the bathroom before closing as I head inside.

I goes the sink basin and turn on the valve as clean water began to run through. I stick my both hands together as the running water filled up my both hands. I lean my head down and splashed my face with water. It felt relieving and refreshing as a small moan flew out of my mouth. I looked at myself at the mirror at front me to check myself. My eyes widened and my mouth opened in utter shock and disbelief.

It was that being again, the figure in my dream. The figure again, gave me its long and unnatural, yet crooked smile as again, sending chills down on my spine, causing me to take multiple steps away from the sink's mirror.

"W-W-What?" I stuttered heavily as my eyes have locked itself at the other me on the mirror, not daring to look away. The other me just chuckled at my frantic behavior before brushing its red hair with its hand.

"Just dropping by to say a nice little hello to myself." It spoke, placing an arm on the side of its body.

"I said that I don't want to see you ever again! Just leave me alone!" I yelled.

"Sheesh, why must you be so hostile?" It now crosses both of its arms together. "You know, the reason why your still alive right now is because I and I only, was the one who saved you from a certain fate." The other grinned. I gritted my teeth.

"You?! Saved me?! You've done nothing but been a goddamn nuisance towards me, how can you possibly think that a demon like you had saved me!"

"Remember that time when you fought Akuma back then more than a year ago at the Training Courtyard." The figure began. "During the final moment of your battle with Akuma, you used one of your ultimate move, the Tenshi Hadoken and he too used his ultimate move. When you failed to hit him with your ultimate move as he glided and passed through it, he managed to caught you with his most devastating and painful technique, the Shun Goku Satsu." It placed its hand on its chest. "I was the one who saved you from that fatal technique by shielding your soul with my very own being and took up nearly all of the damage that Akuma had tried to inflict on you. I was barely able to protect your soul from being destroyed. After the technique was done, there were very little remains of your soul left as I was able to preserve the small fragments of your soul for it to recover and reform before it would just wither itself away. I was the one who saved you from the Shun Goku Satsu and healed your body at a rapid rate. If it also weren't for me, you and your weak friends could've died from that imperious Tang Kuan and from that powerful fellow you have met in this world who's named Qin-Ju." It responded with an explanation. "The least thing you do is to show some appreciations for me after all I have done for you." I took a deep breath.

"Fine, I'll at least give your past actions some acknowledgement. There, are you happy now? If you are, get the hell away from me now." I straightened the posture of myself, still haven't moved my sight away from my other self at the mirror.

"I can't, I am part of you, for the rest of your life. But look at the bright side, with me, you will be able to get your revenge and I will get to feel the immense thrill that I wanted from our battle with the Master Of The Fist. It is a win-win for us both." I gulped as I was slowly about to about to give in to my dark temptations, but I stopped myself and shook my head.

"Quite tempting indeed, but I still have to decline your offer. If I want my revenge, I need to get it myself without any of your help. I'll always find a way!"

"Stop trying to be that main, and yet ludicrous hero of a story who values integrity so much no matter what'll happen while following these senseless and unavailing moralities of his. If you do and try to be like that ludicrous hero, it will only restrains you down and restricts you from achieving your fullest and absolute potential. Use that head of yours and think, Lukas. Akuma's power and strength is far more superior and stronger than yours that you couldn't possibly even imagine how tremendous it is, that is why you need me. If you and I start working together, I am very positive that you and I would have a substantial chance of defeating him as we could both destroy him and survive the battle together."

"Again, I think I'll pass." I declined its offer once more. "Because Akuma was the one who killed my parents, the very first people in the world that loved and cared for me. This is my revenge, not yours, so you better stay out of my way, you frenzied beast." I walked closer to the other me by taking a few steps closer towards the mirror. The other me then released a long grunt filled with annoyance over his failed attempts of tempting me to take use of the Satsui No Hado. It then calms itself down.

"Perhaps that you will need a couple of 'pushes' first." It said. "Because you have such strong and vigorous bonds with your 'new family', especially with that tiger girl. I may as well try and... sever them all from you, taking those unnecessary 'weights' off of you." It said with a cold and murderous tone. My anger and the protectiveness for my friends had flew up instantly as my eyes widened before I narrowed them with my both hands clenched into hard fists.

"If you dare do any-" My outburst was stopped as the other me laughed hysterically and wickedly.

"My, my, can't you even take a little joke from yourself!" It continued laughing in a vile manner. "Don't try to worry, I cannot even touch them at all, so why bother worrying about them?" It grinned.

I yelled in excessive frustration from its sick joke which left me in utter distraught before I send a punch to the other me, but only shattered the glasses of the mirror as all those small pieces of glass had fell on the floor. Soon, there was now silent, until someone slid open the sliding door of the bathroom, revealing the person to be Po.

"Lukas, is every in here alright?" The panda asked worriedly, rushing at me and grabbed my wrist and looked at my hand, which is now slowly bleeding out. "What happened in here, why is your knuckles bleeding and why is the mirror has been broken?" I calmed myself down before speaking.

"Oh that, just trip and accidentally smashed my fist on the mirror."

"Your knuckles are bleeding, you need to wrap it with bandage right now." Po suggested strongly. I motioned my other uninjured hand to assure him.

"Don't sweat it, it's just minimal bleeding, nothing to be concern off. But if you insist, guess I'll use these wrist wraps of mine to cover my knuckles." I unwrapped the wraps from my right wrist, before I could start wrapping it around my bleeding knuckles, Po stopped me by placing his paw on my shoulder.

"Those wrist wraps of yours won't work, you need real bandages." Po said. "Come on, let's go get you some." I let a sign in defeat before complying to the panda's suggestion. Before we both could exit the bathroom, I stopped and looked behind at the mirror. "Lukas, what's the hold up?" Po asked.

"About the mirror that I've just broke, I think the proper thing to do is to replace it with a new one after sunset." I pointed a finger the broken and shattered mirror. Po nodded his head as we both exited the bathroom and head back to the Training Hall.

As we both arrived, Po head to a corner of the Training Hall towards a shelve and grabbed a roll of bandages. As the panda handed the roll of bandage for me, I take it from his paw and began wrapping my slightly bloodied knuckles with bandages. The bandages I'm wrapping myself is pretty good as it's made out of firm and thin materials, allowing air to flow in and out, increasing the healing rate for my knuckles.

I soon continued my training in the Field of Fiery Death, presumably the 'Floor Of Hell' which how I call it instead. Me and Viper are currently doing another friendly sparring. It's been roughly around twenty minutes of continuous dodging and fighting. As we resume, Viper began by sending a handful of fast forward tail strikes at me. I quickly blocked her fast attacks with both of my hand opened and took a few step back for recovering my focus. As the flame are going to rise up from multiple areas from the tubes beneath as, I dodged the tall flames by rolling at a safe area while Viper just avoided multiple of the raising tall flames at once by utilizing her remarkable flexibility of her snake body.

Once the flames calms themselves down, Viper lunges forwards and deliver a several spinning tail strikes at many directions, they were quite fast too follow as few of her rotating tail strikes managed to hit me on the sides of my body. She was about to finish her combo with a single straight tail strike aiming for my head with faster speed and precision. As I timed her final attack correctly, I caught her speeding tail with my right hand, causing a confused and surprised expression to form on her face.

She tried use that wrapping trick of hers by trying to wrap herself around my whole body with her frontal snake body by wrap my arm that's holding her tail. As she began wrapping, I swiftly reacted and counter back by tightening the grip of my hand on her tail and leaped and motioned my body in a horizontal position and start spinning my whole body. The spinning motion of my body managed to threw the serpent off of my arm as she lands on the pipe floor while I as well did she same. Again, we both felt the rising heat and dashed as we both evaded he tall rising flame. Viper then chortled.

"Your one of the very first persons who found a way to counter my signature coiling move." Viper spoke, breathing heavily.

"Actually, I can think of more ways to counter that wrapping technique of yours." I grinned.

"And by the way, why is your knuckle from your right hand is bandaged? Did you hurt yourself?" Viper noticed, gazing my banded hand.

"Yeah, a little mistake as I tripped and accidentally smashed my fist on a mirror in the bathroom." Upon hearing how I got my hand bandaged, Viper's caring nature kicks in.

"Are you gonna be alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Just minimal bleeding from my knuckles, nothing else to worry." Viper then frowned a bit.

"Even through I would like to continue this match of ours, but for your safety and recovery, I think we should stop here now." Viper ceased the fight by dropping off her fighting stance.

"Oh come on! We're getting to the good part of this match!" I exclaimed as I flung my both arms up in the air.

"No, I don't want you to damage your injured hand any further. So please, take a day off for today." Viper suggested. I then massaged the knuckles from my bandaged right hand before feeling a little sharp pain, causing me to wince a little.

"Okay, I'll take the day off." I agreed. "But I'll be training harder for tomorrow."

"Fine by me, just don't do anything that will damage the knuckles further for today, okay?" Viper said. I nodded before exiting the Floor Of Hell's area, leaving the serpent doing her training all by herself.

After a lengthy staff training with all alone in a open area of the Training Hall, my hair tie soon loosened and fell on the wooden floor, allowing my hair to flow out. I then felt them frazzling and passing through my shoulders, indicating that my hair has grew pass my shoulders. Monkey then noticed something off with my appearance as he ceased his training and approached me.

"Not trying to be an ass or anything, but with the current length of your hair you have now, you sorta looked kinda... old, you know." Monkey spoke reluctantly while point his finger at my hair.

"Now you've mentioned it, I haven't gotten a haircut for more than a year and look how long it grew. I think I'll ask someone to give me a nice little haircut." I bend down and grabbed the hair tie and tied my hair back. "Oh yeah I almost forgot, you have a girlfriend now, right?" I smirked. The monkey nodded. "If so, how is she?"

"The snow leopardess Shu is a really kind and polite girl, has a cute voice and a slender appearance with 'nice features'." After hearing him emphasizing the two word 'nice features', it made me snickered. "But her personality nailed everything with the appearance, such as her enthusiasm and energetic is just really adorable, makes me want to hug her all day. But unfortunately, Shu and the other two leopard ladies have to return back to their camp, but she said she'll return to the Valley in the next Winter Festivals is this year."

"What about Mantis, I heard he got a girlfriend as well, care to lift my curiosity by telling me how did she got in a relationship with Mantis?"

"We've meet them the twin snow leopardess at the bar while the other one went out with Po. According to what Shu has told me, Shi has the somewhat of an opposite personality compared to Shu's personality. Her big twin sister is more serious and a bit stoic as well and has the same slender appearance as Shu's body. But Shu told me that her big twin sister's body noticeably more 'bustier' than hers, such as having bigger bosoms and a bigger ass." I then rolled my eyes after what Mikey had told me.

"Damn, no wonder why Mantis would be so infatuated and attracted to her with all those 'additional features' on her."

"And that's not all, ever since Shi left the Valley with the others. The poor little green guy literally burst into tears and begged for not to go and stay with him, but there was no avail as Shi just turned back and sneered, saying it was cute that he would beg for her not to leave. After she and the other two ladies left, Mantis been a bit down and was in low spirit as he missed her dearly." I then laughed for a considerable amount of time after hearing what Monkey has told me.

"Alright, alright let stop right here before we go too far with this conversation." I said, wiping off a very drop of tears from my eyes from me laughing.

"I see you don't need my guidances with the staff anymore, I think your skilled enough to train all by yourself without my supervision as I think you won't be hitting your balls with that staff anymore." Monkey jested at the end of his sentence. I exhaled out a breath remembering some incidents happened at the past while training with the staff. "Anyway, the sun is setting down, come on, let's go and have dinner." I nodded my horizontally before reaching the exit hall of the Training Hall to the Hall Of Warriors.

"Go without me, I'll gotta head down to the Valley and buy a new mirror to replace the one that I accidentally broke today. It's a fucking miracle that Shifu didn't noticed or heard me breaking that mirror. If he does, that little fella is going to have my ass kicked within less than a second." Monkey chuckled as we both gave each other a fist bump before I left.


An hour has flew after I made a quick stop at a shop down the Valley and bought a new nice and simple looking mirror which is in rolled in paper wraps. Once I reached the Jade Palace, I entered the Hall Of Warrior and made my way the my room to grab the tools that I need this mirror to the one I've broken. After grabbing the tools I need such as a simple hammer and four long nails, I grabbed the paper wrapped mirror before fast walking my way to the bathroom.

Sliding open the sliding door of the bathroom, there, hung a broken mirror near above the sink while it's shattered glass pieces were still on the floor. After cleaning all the floor up by sweeping all the glass pieces with a nearby broom, I soon proceeds to pull out the old nails from the old shattered mirror with the hammer's claw carefully to next make a crack on the wall. I grabbed the old broken mirror and place it down the wall before grabbing the new mirror and tore off the paper wraps. I placed it on the wall with my hand holding on it for it not to fall, I continued by grabbing one of the new nails and gently hammering each four of them on the sides of the new mirror.

As soon as I finished replacing the old mirror with this new one after nailing it. I picked up the old broken mirror and the colorless clay pot which contains the broken glass piece and left the bathroom. I soon stopped dead on my track as right at front of was... Shifu, standing there with his both arms crossed behind his back. I slowly approached the red panda.

"Good evening, Master Shifu." I greeted nervously. He looked at my occupied hands before pointing his paw at them.

"Good evening to you as well, Master Lukas." He returned the greeting. "Would you like to tell me what are you holding on your both hands and why is one of your hand is bandaged?" Shifu inquired. I sighed in defeat as I can't lie my way around him as I felt the feeling of him that he already know what happened.

"Well you see, this happened when I was taking a short break in the bathroom. I somehow managed to goof off like an idiot and smashed my fist on the mirror and got injured in the process. After training has ended, I head down to the Valley and bought a new one." I explained, holding on a serene expression.

"I see." The tone that he used wasn't the one that I expected. "It is good to see that you have decided to take up responsibility and correct your mistake." Instead of receiving a scold from the old red panda, he gave me a little compliment.

"Thank you, Master Shifu." I did a low bow. We both depart off on a different path as he said he'll go and check on how I've fixed the bathroom. I head to the kitchen to meet up with the rest of the crew.

As I arrived at the kitchen and entered, I could see that today was Po's turn to cook dinner for us. I looked around saw Viper is enjoying her conversation with Crane. I walked up to the serpent from behind and tapped on her back.

"Hello there." She greeted me as she turned around to see me.

"Oh wait, am I interrupting your conversation with Crane." I said. Viper shook her head.

"No, not at all." She assured. "What is it do you need?" She inquired.

"Well since you have the most experience with fashion, I want to ask if you can cut my hair a bit shorter." Viper was a bit bewildered from my request.

"Is there any reason why you would like me to cut my hair for you?" She asked. I then to show her why by removing the hair tie. Once I removed the hair tie, my dark brown hair flopped down, passing through my shoulders. The serpent widens her eyes in slight surprise, along with the others.

"The length of my hair is starting to annoy me, can you cut it and leave it barely hanging around on my shoulder level? Also, could you also cut my bangs shorter? Because they are going to get in my way of training and increase the risk of me getting killed during combat." I said.

"Sounds reasonable," Viper slithered off from her chair. "come on, let get you that haircut." She slithered pass me while gesturing me to follow her.

We both reached the Student Barrack, more specifically, her room. When I've entered, her room was somewhat expectable as it has does looks exact like mine and the others, but her room has some few soft decorations and at her closet, hung a long pink ribbon on the handle of the closet, pointing out that she still practicing ribbon dancing at times. She grabbed a two chair, one was a short wooden chair and the other wooden chair was significantly taller. She motioned for me to sit on the short chair while she slithered and stood on the taller one, before she could start cutting my hair, she wrapped a white blanket around my neck as it also covers nearly my whole body. She grabbed a nearby scissor on a desk and steadied herself.

"Sorry, but can you tell me again about how much should I cut?" Viper spoke.

"Currently, my hair has already passed through my shoulder and is reaching my upper back, I would like you to cut it till my hair almost reaching the length of my shoulder." I relied, making some gesture about the length she should cut.

"Alright, just sit still," I then felt the end part of my hair at the back has been cut off. "and let me do the magic." Another few of my hair has felt been cut off by the scissor. Viper soon decided to start a conversation. "Lukas, I have a question." She spoke.

"Sure, ask me."

"I'm curious, does your species looked the same or different from one another?"

"That's an interesting question you got there." It took a short moment for me to come up with an short answer. "My species have a large and wide varieties of appearance like skin colors, facial structures, eye colors and hair colors, body types and many more, it also depends on what from which country your from as well."

"I'm curious, which country are you from?" She inquired.

"Why do you ask?" I lifted a brow.

"Well, since you don't normally names like 'Lukas' around in China, then you must have come from another country." Viper trimmed a few of my hair to make it look exactly like the other side.

"How do you say this, umm... I could say, that I think I'm from the Western world." I responded, trying not to spill any beans to her about me literally being from another dimension or something like that.

"From the Western world, eh?" She raised both of her eyebrows in intrigue. "I'm don't know much about the Western world, but I've heard stories about the place being very big and somewhat 'advanced'." Viper began pondering. "So how is it there?"

"I'm not entirely sure, that depends on which states you live in. The state where I live in is pretty calm and sometimes, things tend to go bad and haywire. But most of the time, it's a pretty good place to live. Just try to avoid any form of confrontations to avoid troubles and I'm certain you'll be fine."

I closed my eyes as Viper slithered off from the tall wooden chair and moved the chair at the front side of my face as she climb back on it. She now stood at front of me as she began shortening my bangs while the low sound of the scissor snipping off a very little trails of my brown hair.

"Your really good at this." I complimented.

"Oh it's nothing, just gotta know where to cut and snip." She replied with modesty. With my eyes still closed, I chuckled lightly.

"Come on Viper, have a some credit in what your doing." The serpent slowed down her sniping speed for more precision and smoothness. "In fact, from what your doing, you could save my life by doing this." Once Viper finished, she gave me a small mirror with a handle as I took it from her tail and and a look on myself. "Hey, not bad at all, you could start a career with skills like these." I said, mesmerizing of how astonishing her haircutting techniques are. My hair length is now barely hanging themselves on my shoulders while the bangs has finally stopped blocking my eyesight as it reduces the risk of interrupting me during real combat.

"Now I'm flattered, glad I could help a friend out." She then unwrapped the white blanket off from my neck, but the amount of snipped dark brown hair on the blanket has fallen on the room's floor. I chuckled awkwardly.

"Sorry for making a mess in your room, I'll go get a broom and sweep them up." I exited her room before returning back with a broom on my hand and start sweeping the brown hair on the floor.

"It's alright, I'll help you out as well." Viper assured, picking a random empty vase in her room and start picking the snipped hair on the floor and put them on the empty vase. I then ignited a short conversation with her while I'm sweeping.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you this." I spoke. She gestured for me to go on. "What do you think of Crane?" As expected, a small blush has appeared on her face.

"He's a really great friend to hang around with, we both usually like to engage with long and fun conversations, getting to know each other better." She answered. I grinned deviously.

"Come on, is there anything else, like you think of him as more than a great friend?" Her blush grew larger and redder by the second she heard that.

"I suppose I will have to come clean." She took a deep breath. "Yesterday, when he asked me out to spend the day with him at the festivals, it was one of the most happiest moments in my life. I especially enjoyed our time at a restaurant he chose and at the moment when he bought this doll for me." She slithered to one of her room's drawer and searched through it until she pulled an doll which has strong resemblances to Crane. "It was the most sweetest and thoughtful thing he has ever done for me. After some time thinking about this, I eventually realized that I have developed a romantic feelings for him.Eventually, these romantic feelings I held for him soon grew further into... love."Woah, what a freakin coincidence just happened! I remembered that Crane said that he too has romantic feelings for her and it was love as well. A little smirk has spread across my face.

"You know... I've heard Crane had a huge crush on some girl." Viper's eyes widened.

"He... he does?" I could feel sadness inside the tone of her question.

"Oh he sure does, sometimes he would think about her for a considerable amount of time almost every day." Viper's face grew even more sadder as I told her that Crane is interested in another girl, but wait till she finds out who the girl really is. "And that girl... is the one who's currently standing right at front of me." The serpent's sad expression instantly was swapped with a whole new expression filled with both mixture confusion and excitement.

"M-Me?!" She almost jumped in excitement. "Are you sure about that?" She asked, nearly sounding like she's being frantic.

"Yes! He does!" I replied. "I think the two of you would get together eventually on your own." As I looked down on the floor, it would seem that I've now finished cleaning up the floor of Viper's room by sweeping the snipped brown hair and placed all of it on the colorless vase. "Thanks, I really appreciated the haircut you've did for me." I thanked, grabbing my hair tie on a her desk and tied my now shoulder-length hair back into a ponytail on the lower back side of my head.

Once me and Viper had finished cleaning her room, we both retuned back to the kitchen with everyone seemed to like the 'new and refreshing' looks of my haircut, which I only replied back to their comments with modesty and reservedness while they've also began asking Viper about her hair cutting-skills before all seven of us could now start enjoying ourselves on Po's holy noodle soup for tonight's dinner.


Author Note : I hope you guys like what I did. I did some online research and saw that most Ansatsuken warrios (like Ryu for example), has a darker side (Evil Ryu or Kage). I was planning on making an arc where Lukas would defeat his inner demon, gaining peace blah blah blah, character development blah blah blah and etc. I would soon discard that idea away as it felt like for me that Lukas's inner demon is gonna die off too soon. I feel that the demon is pretty interesting and could stick around for quite some time.

By the way, with the coronavirus or COVID-19 going apeshit around the globe, my school has decided to close itself down until next month April. Not gonna lie, I'm glad that happened since me and my class were going to have an exam week. With school closed, I can kick off my shoes and have some real rest. If possible, I might have a chance of uploading the next chapter at late March with all these free time I now have or at April if I'm lazy XD .

If you are enjoying the story so far, please give it a follow, favorite and review/PM (I will respond to your message as soon as I can). I would either way see you guys again in this month or the next one. Adios.