I am really sorry for taking so long, i mean, it was a freaking month! A combination of being busy and being bad at optimizing my time made writing this chapter a lot harder than usual. I hope you still like it and i will try to finish the next chapters on a weekly basis.

Don't forget to leave your review.

Yajū stood atop a tree, looking at the sea while squeezing a pebble in his hand. His match with Taaru will begin soon, but he still can't shake off the feeling of disappointment he got since he watched Taaru in the first round.

With a frown, he asked himself "He is supposed to be YOUR last student. YOU always told me that he was THE best, yet he is still only being able to do the basics!" With frustration, he threw the pebble as far as he could with a loud grunt.

"I can't believe YOU said he would be a more than worthy opponent. Now your style will disappear. Even if he reaches Shibo, am i supposed to believe he can make your so called key in less than a weak without your aid?"

He jumped off the tree and headed to the dome, hoping he won't be as disappointed as he feared.

Kenta, was nervous. Taaru was going to fight in a few minutes and he wasn't sure if he could win the match. Taaru was able to defeat his previous opponent very quickly, but so did Yajū. This could be a case of 'whoever pulls the trigger first wins'.

On the other hand, Taaru just sat in the room's bench with his fists clenched as hard as he could, making his hands bleed slightly. He felt frustrated, how was he going to defeat Yajū if he only knew the most basic moves of the style Kuma taught him? To top it all, Yajū called Kuma a liar. "How could you be a liar? There is no way, i saw you fight people and defeat them like they were nothing, you couldn't have been just a brute pretending to be a martial artist, right?" The thought of that possibility filled him with anger and he refused to believe it.

He suddenly stood up and told Kenta with renewed determination "I am gonna beat the crap out of that asshole." Kenta widened his eyes and tried to stop Taaru from leaving the room as he said "Wait! You can't just go there in a blind rage. If you do, you won't fight well." The fighter stopped in his tracks and replied with a calm voice "Kenta, this is more than just a fight. Everything i have been able to do to this day is thanks to Kuma. And if some asshole thinks they can insult him and walk away like nothing happened, i am gonna make sure they remember their mistake for the rest of their lives."

Kenta stood silent for a moment and then, smiled "Well, i guess that if it's something personal i can't intervene, but you can be sure i will support you." Taaru gave him a smile and both of them got out of the room, heading towards the area's tunnels.

Miyuki was finally back at the area. Everyone was watching, either from the stands or from a tv in some room. She looked up and announced with excitement "We are finally back with the second match of this round! Are you ready?!" The crowd roared and she took it as her signal.

The 3d image of a pair of red bleeding eyes appeared above the entrance to the first tunnel. Lasers focused on it and Miyuki began talking "From the US, standing at 6'3 and weighting 200 lbs. Representing Toshio Security, it's one of the fan favorites from this tournament he is 'The Reneged' Yajū!" Smoke filled the tunnel's entrance and the fighter came out.

A 3d image of a roaring bear appeared above the other tunnel. Lasers focused in the entrance and Miyuki reintroduced the next fighter "Coming all the way from Alaska, this dark horse has left quite the impression on all of us. Standing at 6'0 and weighting 210 lbs. Representing Toshio Leasing, it's the master of the Kuma Style, 'The Shadow Ursa' Taaru Mota!"

Taaru came out of the tunnel while the smoke cleared and the 3d images turned off along with the lasers. Kenta was left confused at the tunnel's entrance "Did they change his nickname at the last minute? I wonder why."

In the stands, Kenji(?), Alia and Asuka were cheering for Taaru.

"Go for the win, master!"

"Ya better don't lose skinny!"

"You can do it, Taaru-san!"

Taaru smiled slightly, but the expression vanished almost instantly. Yajū and him approached each other. The red eyed man said with slight contempt "I hope you give me your all." Taaru, instead losing his cool, replied with an almost emotionless voice "You bet i will. You will regret your words."

Both fighters glared at each other and went into their stances. The referee approached them and said with a firm tone "I don't want cheap shots or any assassin bullshit. And that goes for you, red eyes. Is that clear?"

"Wha-? I wasn't-!" To say that Yajū was taken aback by the referee's words would have been an understatement. He was raised in a family of assassins, but that didn't mean he was going to deliberately aim to cripple his opponent, play dirty or kill them.

"Fighters ready?" The referee raised his arm and brought it down quickly "FIGHT!"

Taaru sprinted forward and threw a punch. Yajū moved his head to the side, but Taaru followed with a roundhouse kick to his head. He blocked it and tried to punch Taaru, only for him to duck and uppercut his chin.

The red eyed man staggered, but quickly regained his footing. Yajū kept his distance while Taaru pursued him through all the area. Taaru kept punching and kicking, but he couldn't land any solid hit, they were either dodged or blocked. The green eyed fighter stopped his pursuit and attempted a sweep kick. Yajū hopped over it and elbowed Taaru in his face, followed by a back kick to the body.

Taaru was launched away by the blow, landing on his back. He quickly stood up again, but Yajū grabbed his arm and shoulder, using a takedown and putting him into a chokehold. Taaru grunted and struggled to get free, but his opponent's grip was too strong.

Yajū was disappointed. With frustration, he asked Taaru through gritted teeth "What? Now you are rejecting his style?!" Taaru felt his anger starting to overpower his mind and with renewed strength, he broke free from his opponent's grip. "No! I can't lose my cool or this asshole is going to beat me!" Taaru positioned himself on top of Yajū and both started to wrestle.

The crowd went wild. Kenta was visibly worried, but his faith in Taaru didn't wane, he was sure the long haired man could win. In the stands, Asuka, Alia and Kenji(?) were cheering non stop, Miguel and Feng were watching the fight from tvs in their rooms. Shibo was watching the fight from a tv in his room, grinning full of curiosity "Yajū is a top tier fighter and he comes from a famous clan of american assassins. If you defeat him, it only means that taking your life will be far more satisfying."

Back in the area, Taaru managed to get away from Yajū, but then charged toward him as he was about to get up. "If you want to see the style so badly, then take this!" Taaru delivered a powerful palm strike to Yajū's temple, knocking him back.

The red eyed fighter felt disoriented and tried to get up "That was way worse than Feng's jab, but he only took me by surprise. This won't happen again." Yajū shook his head and charged toward Taaru, throwing a spinning heel kick. The long haired man ducked under it, he stepped to the side and threw a low kick. Yajū blocked the hit and struck Taaru's liver with a strong hook. The pain was enough to make the green eyed fighter back away and hold his side.

Yajū kept striking with both his arms and legs. Taaru was having a hard time blocking the hits until Yajū struck him with a hard high kick. It had enough power to knock back most people, but Taaru blocked it with a cross arm guard without even budging.

Yajū grinned with excitement "So, he finally started using it. Don't disappoint me!" Taaru, on the other hand, was feeling frustrated "Damn it, his kick was stronger than i thought, i have to take this to the ground again!" Taaru launched 3 palm strikes, one aiming for Yajū's head and the other two aiming for his chest and stomach. The red eyed fighter parried the one to the chest and dodged the one to the head, but he couldn't avoid the last one.

Yajū recoiled, but kept putting pressure on his opponent. He threw a fast jab that was redirected by Taaru, followed by knee to the body, and an elbow to the head and a front kick. The long haired fighter could only block the elbow.

Yajū kept on the offensive and lunged toward him. Taaru side stepped quickly and, taking a hold off Yajū's arm, he threw him to the ground and mounted him. Taaru punched non stop while he tried to block the flurry of blows.
Yajū's face started to get bloody and, after a while, he caught Taaru's arms and used his legs to throw him away.

Taaru rolled on the ground and stood up, he was panting. But before he could catch his breath he was struck by a punch to his face. Now both had blood staining their faces. Yajū was still excited, but he knew that Taaru's chances of winning weren't that big if this was all he could do. "Tell me, Taaru. Is this all 'YOUR' style can do?! Because as far as i know, 'HIS' style had at least a bit more of variety."

Taaru felt his blood boil and with anger he yelled "You can go to hell! If you think you can just talk shit about him and go away without a beating, i am going to make sure you can't even talk! Who the fuck do you think he was?!"

Yajū's grin vanished and was replaced by a look of grief "'Who the fuck i think he was?' He was my friend." Taaru was taken aback by his words and couldn't even say other word than "What?"

Yajū sighed and replied "So, he never told you, huh? Do you know the reason why Shibo killed Kuma?" Taaru was assaulted by images of his past, all of them about his time with Kuma. Until...

(Years ago)
Shibo was facing Kuma in a forest. A very young Taaru was wearing his training gear and had a confused look on his face. Shibo had a murderous grin and he talked with suppressed anger "Well, well, well. It seems i found you, bastard."

Kuma slightly turned his head toward Taaru and told him with seriousness "Taaru, go back to the shack, now!" The boy was confused and paralyzed. He wasn't able to move from his place, but Kuma didn't say anything else. He looked back at Shibo and both got into their fighting stances. "This is my last warning, Mamushi. Go away and nerver return or this will be your last day!"

Shibo just smirked and replied with a hateful glint in his eyes "You wish i did, don't you, coward?"

...

Kuma laid on the ground, unmoving and bloodied. Taaru was shaking uncontrollably while his eyes were fixated on his master's body. Shibo walked away with a grin of satisfaction, he went past Taaru and told him with a vicious smile "If you ever feel like teaching me a lesson, i always have some free time."

Taaru couldn't move, his body wasn't responding, it was like his mind stopped working. Kuma coughed, drawing his student's attention as he said with a weak voice "Listen- 'cough cough' -Taaru. Do not think i lost because of my style. It was... my fault. A fighter is... responsible of keeping themselves in- cough, ack! top condition, improving- ugh!"

"Never... forget it."

It started to rain and Kuma's body didn't make another sound or movement.

Taaru was devastated. He was the only person that took care of him... that really cared about him, but now he was gone...

Forever.
(Back to the present)

Taaru clenched his fist, but he shook his head, allowing Yajū to continue "Back in the USA, Kuma was my only true friend. I was raised in a clan of assassins and i used my free time to explore the surroundings. That's when one day i met him. Kuma was a very interesting man. He was strong and it was very easy to trust him."

He paused for a moment and added "One day he told me that a man was looking for him since he left The Inside. Apparently Kuma beat him in a fight. You see, you weren't Kuma's first student." Yajū had a look of pity and distaste, but continued with his explanation "He had a group of students with him, but that man killed them all. You can guess who that man was."

Taaru was shaken to the core. A fight, all because of a damn fight?! With all his anger, with all his grief and pain he could only ask "Why?"

Yajū wasn't sure what he was asking, but he gave him all the information that might interest him "After some years of investigating i discovered that Kuma was the affiliated fighter of a member of the Kengan Association. Yajū's employer made some deal with him, but that's not all. I found out that Kuma's body had traces of poisons and venoms in his body. Someone was trying to weaken him, they were toxins specially made to weaken someone with lasting effects, but if Kuma had lived another week, then he would have made a full recovery. There is a high possibility- No, Shibo's employer MUST have orchestrated this to win whatever business he had with your master's employer."

'It was... my fault.'

Saying that Taaru was angry would have been an understatement, he was furious. If he ever finds out who Shibo's employer is, he will kill him on the spot! But now he had more pressing matters.

Both fighters went back to their fighting stances and charged toward each other. Yajū threw a quick jab and Taaru redirected it. The red eyed man jumped back and launched multiple kicks. Taaru blocked most of them and then took a hold of his leg, he pulled it toward him and struck Yajū with a heavy palm strike.

But suddenly, Yajū leapt with his leg still in Taaru's grip. The red eyed fighter kneed his opponent and put him into a chokehold after a swift takedown. Taaru was able to set himself free. The green eyes man used two spinning kicks followed by a flurry of palm strikes. Yajū dodged the kicks and countered the palm strikes with his own punches. Started launch his own barrage of attack while Taaru tried to keep up. They were chasing each other through the area, hitting each other, parrying, blocking, dodging and redirecting. Taaru was fighting with everything he got, but was struck then he was steuck by two powerful punches to his liver and chin, followed by a roundhouse kick to the side of his head.

He was knocked to the ground and was barely conscious. He was trying to get up while the referee asked if he was able to keep fighting. Then, he heard a familiar voice.

"Just look at you. You were doing great, but you still don't open the cage."

Kuma's words were no longer infuriating to Taaru, they were just... annoying.

"You are so fucking annoying, will you ever tell me something else?"

"You won't be able to win against Yajū if you don't open the cage with the 'key'. He is a great fighter, but if you keep using the style in the wrong way you will never win."

"I told you i will find my own way of making the damned 'key'."

...

"My own way..."

The realization hit Taaru like a truck, how did he not realize it sooner?! He felt that if Kuma was here, he would be chuckling with pride like a parent that saw their child just find out how to solve a math problem after trying it so many times. It made sense. Kuma always put emphasis on personal concepts: Self improvement, finding your own way, your own methods, what would 'YOU' do in X situation and many more examples.

Taaru slowly rose to his feet and the crow cheered for him, but now, he didn't care. He was calm like a leaf and went back to his own stance. Yajū adopted a different stance from before and rushed at Taaru as he thought "I will finish this!"

The style Kuma taught Taaru was composed of 5 basic moves that were the basis of the style. These moves were called 'claws'. Interestingly, these same moves were the only ones that Kuma taught him during all those years together. Besides the secret technique, they were the only ones that Taaru knew from the style.

"Just for this moment, i only need a light boost. Secret technique Hibernation: Level 3"

When Yajū was about to reach him, Taaru rushed forward, shocking him and delivering a fast and powerful puch to his chest. The pain was excruciating, Yajū felt like his lungs were on fire. The blow launched him some meters away. After landing on his back he couldn't find the strength to get up.

"Sixth Claw."

The referee approached the downed fighter and inspected him for some seconds before declaring "Winner by TKO, Taaru Mota!"

All the crowd roared with excitement. Asuka, Kenji(?) and Alia were hoping with joy, Kenta was yelling as he threw up his hands, enjoying his fighter's second victory in this tournament. Shibo was grinning as he shut down the tv of his room.

Taaru felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head around to 'see' a smiling Kuma.

"Well kid, you finally did it. This style is no longer mine, now it's officially the Ursa Style, a philosophy you understood in the mid of a fight. I swear that if i was alive i would have taken you for some meal. Hahahaha"

Taaru just smiled weakly and said with relief "You know, maybe i am just tired, but it's nice to hear you say something like that for a change."

Then, 'Kuma' vanished from sight and Taaru went to the tunnel to meet with Kenta, none of them said a thing and instead, they just high fived and walked away with smiles full of faith and confidence.

Alphonse watched the entire fight from Yajū's tunnel and after he watched the EMTs take him to the med bay, he took a cellphone from his pocket and dialed a number "Hey, Seth. It's me. I have some info. you might want."

After Yajū was left alone in a room of the med bay he started chuckling "Hehehe- guh! Damn, you nailed it, Kuma. He was more than worthy. Fuck, i can't believe he finished me with one punch. Well, maybe it was that or me knocking him out with the blow he was going to take."

The door of the room opened and Seth stepped in with a smile "Well, hello there, mister assassin. Do you mind if i ask you some questions?" Yajū's eyes widened, but he sighed with resignation and answered the question.

"Shoot."

TBC