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This story has been beta by ZShaq and TheReader2011.
"Wow, it's actually peaceful for once," noted Kenichi as he made his way to school with Miu.
Since Chikage hadn't sent her challenge to him, Kenichi had more time to do what he wanted than worry about his fight with Chikage that never happened.
"Seems like we've been just fighting and preparing for the future," nodded Miu as she looked up at the clouds.
"Let's go on a date!" declared Miu suddenly, surprising Kenichi.
"Wha? But-" began Kenichi, only for Miu to stop him with a finger to his lips.
"You've been training and fighting for the past few events and so we haven't been able to just have some us time. I want to do something special together," pouted Miu, "Or have you... gotten tired of me?"
Kenichi quickly shook his head rapidly at that. Miu was someone he would never be tired of.
"Good," smiled Miu, "Luckily we don't have school tomorrow. So what are we going to do for a whole day then?"
Kenichi took a seat to ponder about just where they could go. Somewhere they hadn't gone before and a bit more unique for a date. As he sat there to ponder, he saw Niijima walk by. His mind flashed back to how Niijima had gotten quite a bit of money and connections.
"Oy Niijima!" shouted Kenichi, running to catch up to him.
The next day
Miu squealed in excitement as the two of them rode a bus to Disneyland. Especially since DisneySea had just opened up to a select few. Thanks to Niijima's connections, Kenichi was able to wheedle out some tickets for the two of them, to which they were heading to the park early for Magic Morning.
"I've never been here before. In either time!" whispered Miu in excitement. The main reason was that the tickets were too expensive to even consider buying, especially when Ryozanpaku had almost declared bankruptcy several times before in the past timeline. This time, with Miu carefully managing money and stocks, Ryozanpaku hadn't had that danger yet. But going to such a place was too much of a frivolous expenditure for her.
"It's been a long time since I've been to Disneyland myself," hummed Kenichi, "And I've never been to DisneySea in either timeline."
Kenichi palmed his wallet, which actually had two Yukichis (10000 yen note) in it. He had put one in preparation for the date back home, only for his father to suddenly barge in and press a second note for him when he heard that Kenichi was taking Miu on a date. The next ten minutes after that was spent with Mototsugu sobbing stories about his time with Saori. Still, he was quite excited, both on going on a date with Miu and going to Disneyland. Not to mention that the Elder wouldn't be spying on them. Miu had made sure of that by threatening to burn one of his Choju Giga painting collections.
In the bus several seats behind them were Hayase, Elfreda, Hyogo, and Yui, who was currently spying on them. The reason being was that they had seen Sigmaringen getting his ass handed to him, and were now more interested in Kenichi.
As for how they knew, it was through Izumi. Kenichi had told Izumi that he would be going to Disneyland with Miu. Later on, She had been texting Sho about a few things before telling him that Miu and Kenichi would be at Disneyland. Sho inadvertently blurted it out loud, allowing a few servants to catch wind. The information traveled along the chain until the armed division of Yomi had caught wind of it.
As for why Sho wasn't there himself to spy... he was currently recovering from his life and death spar against Agaard.
"Should we just go up and say hi?" suggested Hyogo, "I mean, feels kind of rude not to let him know."
"How would you even do that?" asked Hayase, "Just go up to him and say that you're a part of Yomi?"
"Something like that," shrugged Hyogo, "That or lie and just introduce my name and say Yui is my girlfriend."
Yui mercilessly jabbed Hyogo in the stomach for that remark without hesitation, causing him to flinch at that.
"Geez, I was kidding," winced Hyogo as he gingerly poked his side, "No need to jab that hard."
"Next time will be my weapon," stated Yui without a change in her facial expression.
"Let's just observe for now," suggested Elfreda.
Soon, the bus had arrived at Disneyland, to which Kenichi and Miu eagerly disembarked from it, only to stop as they blinked in surprise at who they saw standing in front of them.
"Kenichi, my son, you made it!" smiled Mototsugu as he stood in front of the entrance gates with Saori, Honoka, and Kaede.
"Fufu, don't worry, we're not here to disrupt your date," laughed Saori softly, "It's just that when you mentioned about heading to Disneyland, I had the small urge to also come too. Not to mention your little sister hasn't been here before while you've been here, though granted you were small back then. Your father then decided to make it a family event."
"Indeed I did!" laughed Mototsugu, who had ditched work for this. Not like it mattered, family was always first! Plus, despite all his erratic actions, he was the best at his work, so his company couldn't really complain.
"I'm so excited!" grinned Honoka as she danced around with Kaede, "I've never been here before!"
"Nor have I," said Kaede, "My health was always horrible, so big brother never dared to take me here before in fear of my health and safety. It's too bad he couldn't come today, he has a business meeting."
"Well then, we'll be sure to take plenty of pictures of you for him!" laughed Mototsugu, "Come now, it's time to enter the gates!"
As they did, the four Yomi disciples of the armed division stood far away, watching the whole thing. Elfreda was secretly recording Kenichi, Saori, and Mototsugu. She knew her master had some sort of grudge against the Shirahama name, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember why.
"Come on, let's follow them," stated Hyogo as they passed through the checkpoint. None of them had brought their weapons with them, as not only to blend in but to not provoke the sleeping giant. Just who was the sleeping giant? It was the Disney company itself.
Despite Disneyland at Tokyo not actually being owned by Disney completely, they still had influence within it. What was a hidden secret to the world was that the inner workings of Disney were also a martial arts organization, capable of rivaling them. An example would be the 'Disney Princesses' within the organization, female disciples that were known for their looks and deadly skill. Each princess with a name was known to be the strongest out of their disciple group, similar to how Yomi was.
The key difference was that they didn't follow Katsujinken, Satsujinken, or Gedou, but rather the fist of business, the Bijunjinken. Using martial arts to promote business. Normally, they were more on the side of Katsujinken, but there were some deals that just needed them to get a bit... dirty.
Not to mention the Grand Master of the organization, the one who inherited the name of Walt Disney himself, was said to be on the same level as Hayate Fuurinji and Oganosuke Yogi. The second in commands, nicknamed Oswald and Mickey, were said to be almost as strong.
Miu didn't mind spending time with the rest of the Shirahama family plus Kaede, and enjoyed it. Saori was a motherly figure that Miu had been growing closer to. Back in Ryozanpaku, the only other female was Shigure, and she was more like an aloof sister/aunt than a mother for Miu.
It was in the afternoon that Kaede and Honoka got a little tired and were taking a small nap on Saori's lap, with Mototsugu taking a vigilant watch to anyone who would dare disturb their nap.
"You two can go on ahead by yourselves," waived off Saori, "Just be sure to be back for the fireworks show!"
"Will do," grinned Kenichi as the two of them left.
"They grow up fast don't they?" chuckled Saori.
"Indeed," nodded Mototsugu while streams of tears fell from his face from happiness and sadness. Happy that his son was dating such a nice girl. Sad that he was growing up so fast.
"Here, it looks like you could use this," said a voice as a hand held out a handkerchief.
"Oh, thank you," nodded Mototsugu as he took the offered handkerchief to wipe his tears before handing it back, "Oh, you're Mr. Okamoto aren't you? You were at my office before, acting as a representative of the government. What brings you here?"
The disguised Saiga smiled, "I just finished talking with the Oriental Land Company in regards to a few details, and am now just relaxing here."
'And to check up on my daughter,' chuckled Saiga mentally as he watched the two disappear into the crowd, 'Father sent me a private message about the date. Along with lots of tears on how his precious granddaughter threatened to burn his collection if he tried to spy or interfere on this date.
If Miu was just a teenager, he would've done so too. However, Miu, despite her physical age, was no longer a teenager, but a woman now. She was old enough to make her own decisions.
'Not to mention I lost all rights to have any say in my daughter's choices when I passed her to my father,' sighed Saiga.
"Looks like you need some cheering up, too," said Mototsugu, noticing the sad look on Saiga's disguised face, "Come and sit with me, friend!"
Saiga found himself sitting on a chair around a table with a plate of food and a beer in front of him, dining with the Shirahama family.
"So what ails you friend?" asked Mototsugu as he took a swig of his beer.
"Err..," hesitated Saiga, unable to actually form words with the situation here. Here he was, eating a late lunch with his future co-parents-in-law though they didn't know.
"Does it have to do with family?" asked Saori sharply, causing Saiga to slightly flinch.
'She's sharp,' thought Saiga before taking a breath.
"Somewhat. It's that... well, my daughter is on a date with a boy right now. She's seventeen right now, and being on a date alone with a boy should make me nervous. I trust her judgment on boys, but at the same time, as a father, I should be worried and watching over her," confessed Saiga, careful not to drop any names, "But at the same time, I don't have the right to interfere in her life. There were complications with both my job and personal life that resulted in my daughter living with my father instead. After that, I couldn't even maintain contact with them."
Both Saori and Mototsugu could sense there was something deeper that he wasn't saying, but chose not to pursue after it.
"Well are you talking to your daughter now?" asked Saori.
"Only recently," admitted Saiga, "Before that, I've never had the chance to even hold her in my arms, to watch her grow into the beautiful girl she is now."
"And does she know about why?" questioned Saori.
"Yes, though only through some rather extenuating circumstances," stated Saiga.
"Then it's not too late to reconnect with your daughter," advised Mototsugu, "We may not know what has happened in the past, but your daughter has accepted what has happened, correct? Is she resentful of you?"
"No but-," started Saiga, only for Mototsugu to interrupt.
"Then that's that. If you want to make it up for her, be there for her now," said Mototsugu, "I'm sure your late wife would have wanted that."
Saiga blinked before trying to open his mouth, only for Saori to cut through.
"It was obvious from your expression and story. No sane mother would leave their child behind willingly. I'm sure she would've wanted you to connect back with your daughter once more," said Saori kindly.
As Saiga sat with them longer, he could feel a weight being lifted off his shoulders that he didn't even know was there. If these were to be his fellow co-parents-in-law, he would gladly accept it.
"Thank you," thanked Saiga as he stood up, "I should get going now. I have a lot to do."
Mototsugu and Saori watched Saiga leave, remaining silent for a few minutes until...
"Honey! I promise I'll never leave our son and daughter!" sobbed Mototsugu as he suddenly hugged his wife, his head buried at her waist, "I promise I promise I promise!
"Hai, hai," sighed Saori as she gently patted her husband's head affectionately.
"Damn! There's no way we can follow them now!" moaned Hyogo as he watched Miu and Kenichi walk into DisneySea. How these two had gotten such passes was beyond them. Yami had the resources to get in, but the whole spying thing had been a rather last-minute rush. They didn't think the two would have access to a park that wasn't officially opened yet!
Nor did they want to try to barge in less they risk offending the Disney organization. In the end, the only thing the four could do was retreat back to base or to Disneyland. The four had been debating what to do when a plain-faced man with the name of Mr. Okamoto walked by. The instant he did, fear suddenly gripped the four of them.
"I advise you four to head back home," said the disguised Saiga, "Otherwise Disney might get mad."
The four nodded and quickly rushed away. They looked back at Okamoto, thinking he was one of the high masters in the Disney organization before upping their speed.
"I've really enjoyed this date," smiled Miu as the two of them sat inside a theater to relax and watch a show.
"I'm still shocked that Niijima was able to get these sort of seats and tickets," commented Kenichi as he looked around the booth they were sitting in.
They were in a balcony section of the seating in a private booth for just the two of them. The construction of the booth was made so nobody could actually see them from the outside. The ground floor was still under construction, but the stage was already fully functional.
The actors weren't in full costume, but rather practicing their lines and movements, but even then, the two enjoyed the performance. It was halfway through when Miu gave a mischievous smile.
Suddenly, Miu quickly swung her legs over Kenichi's legs, straddling him. Kenichi blinked in surprise as he looked up to Miu's face to see hints of lust in her eyes. Before Kenichi could really do anything, Miu had already descended, her lips locked onto his. Kenichi enjoyed it before feeling Miu's tongue prodding his lips, looking for access, to which he eagerly allowed. The couple's hands began to wander around each other's body for a bit, clothes being slightly shifted to allow for skin contact, but never going too far towards some private parts.
The couple were two teenagers who were going through puberty twice and mentally already the age of adults. Meaning they were more than aware of their own actions and what they wanted. They only stopped when the play had ended, though they took some time to readjust their clothes and hair properly.
"This was an enjoyable date," concluded Miu as she leaned on Kenichi's shoulder, watching the conclusion of the fireworks.
"Mm, we haven't had the chance to do anything like this," nodded Kenichi, "When we get back, it'll be back to fighting again."
"This time, though, we'll win," said Miu with confidence.
Kenichi nodded in agreement as the two enjoyed the peaceful times for now.
Somewhere in the crowd
"This is mouse one, I see the two, over," said a staff member wearing a Mickey Mouse suit.
"Mouse one, are they exhibiting any sort of threat?" asked the receiver.
"No... it seems like the two are merely enjoying themselves here," replied mouse one, "I see no threat."
"Good. If they are here just to enjoy themselves, then there is no need to bring them in. The four from Yomi have already left. Continue your regular job."
"Roger," nodded mouse one before walking away from the couple, stopping to dance and wave as people eagerly lined up to take photos with the costumed man.
Days later
The two were walking down the hallway when they were suddenly stopped by Ethan.
"Can I help you?" asked Kenichi warily as Ethan towered over him in terms of height.
"Shirahama Kenichi," stated Ethan slowly, "If possible, could I talk to you alone after school? Just the two of us."
Kenichi raised his eyebrows, remembering when Ethan had asked this, it had been in the bathroom... which was really awkward. Kenichi had thought he was about to be attacked when in reality Ethan just needed to use the bathroom urgently.
"Sure," answered Kenichi, pulling Miu's hand down to prevent her from doing anything, "It'll be fine."
Ethan respectfully bowed as he left.
"Are you sure?" asked Miu.
"Ethan is pretty honest," said Kenichi, "If we weren't on opposing sides, then I'm sure we would've been good friends."
As soon as school ended, the two of them ended up meeting in the Boston Tea Party cafe.
"Your Early Gray and your Blue Mountain," said the waitress as she placed the tea in front of Ethan and Kenichi.
Ethan immediately offered to put sugar cubes into Kenichi's tea, stating that it was a habit that had come from always doing it for her sister. After properly mixing the sugar into the tea, Ethan immediately apologized for her sister's attitude. As they began to make a bit of small talk, Kenichi pondered why Ethan wasn't being called out to missions like last time. It was then that he received a text from Niijima.
Quickly apologizing to Ethan, Kenichi took a quick look at the message.
The meeting between the two of you is one day earlier than last time-Niijima
'Ah,' thought Kenichi, 'Different days. Time travel gets so confusing.'
"In the end, I have a few questions I would like to ask you," stated Ethan with complete honesty, "The situation is that you have noticed my sister has not been at school for days after the cruise event, correct?"
As Kenichi nodded, Ethan continued, "Because her master was captured, she's been placed in a rather delicate situation. Truth be told, I have been taking missions nonstop as a way to show the results of my training. The next step in this plan would be to challenge and defeat you, showcasing that my guru is capable of raising a strong disciple and take my sister into his protection. However, I am well aware that at my current state, I would not be able to defeat you."
Ethan took a sip of his tea before continuing, "Instead, I would like to know how you came into Ryozanpaku?"
"Eh?" blinked Kenichi.
"Yami has already pulled out records of your childhood," began Ethan, "There have been no signs of you or your family ever being connected to any martial arts organization or institution. The only clear signs were last year, but we have reason to suspect you joined Ryozanpaku earlier, but cannot give proof of that. So why did you join Ryozanpaku? You are a straight-A student who would most likely succeed in life without martial arts, and yet you decided to dive straight into the underground world of martial arts. Why?"
Kenichi closed his eyes for a second, taking the time to sip on his tea before replying, "Because I have someone I want to protect. To uphold justice and protect the weak."
"I see," hummed Ethan after a bit, "Then I suppose my plan to have you leave Ryozanpaku and the underground martial arts world won't work. Not that it would, considering how famous you're becoming there. Nonetheless, I must do this."
Ethan placed a letter of challenge in front of Kenichi, making it official.
"Truth be told, I have no real confidence in winning against you by myself," admitted Ethan.
"Then why challenge me?" asked Kenichi.
"If in a tiny chance that I win, then I can prove to Yami that my master is capable of raising the strongest disciple, thus having enough influence to bring my sister under his protection. If I fail, then I will be 'disgraced and disowned' by my master. With that, my master would no longer have a disciple and be free to take my sister under his protection," said Ethan, "I will do everything I can to make sure my sister is safe, especially from a certain master."
As Ethan stood up, he gave one last glance at Kenichi, "Do not let this affect you, as it has nothing to do with you. I would be disappointed if you did not come at me with your full strength."
As Ethan left, Kenichi could only stare at his tea, troubled at what to do.
A few days passed by as the challenge date approached. As suspected, Rachel was absent for all those days, making Kenichi ponder on just what to do.
"I guess we'll have to do the same thing as last time," sighed Kenichi as he looked up in the sky, "A two-prong attack on the bases."
"We'll be sure to rescue her," nodded Miu as she started to play with a stray cat.
The two were almost to the school when they noticed both Rachel and Ethan walking to school, with Rachel looking cheery.
"What?" blinked the two of them.
"Could we meet after school?" whispered Ethan, "There have been a few developments that I need to speak to you about."
"Same place?" asked Kenichi, to which Ethan nodded.
After school
"So... I thought your sister was being, as you said, 'locked up'" started Kenichi, using air quotes on the last part.
"It seems fortune favored us," said Ethan as he put two sugar cubes into Kenichi's tea, "Though I must warn you of something."
Kenichi looked to the side to see Miu and Rachel who were talking to each other. Sho and Chikage were sitting at another table, keeping watch over everything, though Sho was busy dealing with child mode Chikage at the moment.
"And how did this go?" asked Kenichi
Flashback Yomi base
"You did what!?" shouted Sho as Ethan returned.
Sho had been out of school for a little due to the fact right after his 'life-and-death' spar against Agar, some of the masters decided it would be fun to join in on that, including his beloved master Hongo. Sho was crying tears by the end of it. Of course, when Jenazad offered that, he vehemently refused and ran away, screaming like a baby. Though his reputation was slightly ruined because of that, nobody could blame him for that. Not even the Kuremisago Clan was willing to use that point to disqualify Sho from being Hongo's disciple, though they did make snide remarks.
"I challenged Shirahama Kenichi," stated Ethan.
"Why?" asked Sho, "You know you aren't prepared! You said it yourself before!"
"I will do whatever it takes to protect my sister," said Ethan sternly before walking away, intending to see his sister, who was currently being tested.
Sho quickly ran to catch up, who was being followed by Chikage and reminding him about Jenazad and his rather lack of compassion for his own disciples. The trio soon found themselves looking out a window to where Rachel was eagerly showing off her abilities to the scientists all around.
The disciples looked around to see Hongo, Ogata, Jenazad, and Cyril all gathered around, looking over at Rachel as she continued to show off.
"So, what do you think?" asked Ogata, "Could she be your new disciple?"
"Hmm... true, it would be a waste to dispose of this one," hummed Jenazad.
"Instead of helping others, what about yourself, Kensei?" asked Hongo, his eyes narrowed.
"I still have my disciple here who's a rather unusual test case," smiled Ogata, pointing to Ryuto, who was still in a wheelchair. The reality, however, was that Ryuto was already capable of walking with a crutch, but used the wheelchair to disguise his disability.
"Ryuto-sama!" waved Rimi as she suddenly appeared behind Ryuto, "Are you feeling fine? Are you hungry? They're serving some good food today!"
Without even waiting, Rimi pushed Ryuto away as Ogata's two other disciples, Shogo Kitsukawa, aka Berserker, and Asuka Akatsuki, aka Lugh showed up.
"Certainly the color of Lucha is far too strong," laughed Jenazad as he ate a whole apple, somehow swallowing it without even chewing, "But it can be remedied by extracting the previous color's master."
"So you'll take her?" asked Ogata as both Hongo and Cyril frowned at the thought of Rachel being Jenazad's new disciple.
"Nope," replied Jenazad, causing Ogata to almost fall over in shock, "I have someone else who I'm interested in taking. He's been dyed in white that it wouldn't take much to paint over it. The best part is that I'd be taking a shot at him."
The other masters all closed their eyes, wondering just whom he was talking about before Ogata quickly opened his eyes, Ki glowing out of it.
"I hope you're not talking Ryozanpaku's disciple," said Ogata before mentally adding in his mind, 'I'm the one who saw him first after Ryozanpaku! If anyone is getting that prime material, it's me!'
"Kakaka, who knows?" laughed Jenazad as he left.
Flashback ends
"It seems that Jenazad had no interest in even taking my sister as his newest disciple," said Ethan as he sipped on his tea, "He's entirely focused on you instead apparently."
"Why me!?" cried Kenichi as he slammed his head onto the table as Ethan offered Kenichi a sympathetic pat on the back.
"I suppose I owe you one," chuckled Ethan as he ordered some pastries, "All that matters right now is the challenge."
"You can take it back if you want," shrugged Kenichi, "You were doing it for your sister, who's safe right now."
"The gesture is appreciated, but I will follow through," said Ethan, "I have already sent the challenge, regardless of the situation, and will not back down. I will admit I am looking forward to how well I will fare against you."
"If I can't change your mind, then I look forward to fighting against you," nodded Kenichi.
"The fight will be tomorrow! At this place, the witnesses to this fight from Yomi will be Kano Sho and Chikage Kushinada. My sister... will most likely be there even if I tell her not to come," said Ethan as he passed a piece of paper with the location of where the fight would be, "As I said, don't hold back on me."
Kenichi nodded as the two of them sipped their tea once more, ignoring the fact they would be fighting tomorrow.
"Geez, I know you guys told me that Yami had already deeply penetrated into Japan, but I didn't want to believe that they could get into the Japanese Self-Defense Force territory," grumbled Sakaki as he drove Kenichi and Miu towards the said location, "You two be careful now, alright? I'll be in the area in case that guy is here."
The two of them nodded before dashing off towards the building. As Sakaki watched them run off, he already noticed someone was behind him, waiting in the trees.
"What do you want?" threatened Sakaki as he turned around.
"Nothing, just keeping watch," said Saiga as he stepped out into the sunlight.
"Oh? Aren't you Miu's father?" asked Sakaki in surprise.
"I decided to come in case Jenazad tried something," nodded Saiga, "If he does, then I can at least stall him long enough for them to escape."
"Hmph, I could take him," scowled Sakaki as he sat back down on his motorcycle, grabbing a beer bottle out.
Kenichi and Miu stood inside a room, where Sho, Chikage, and Rachel were standing a bit away from Ethan, who was wearing his fighting uniform, which was to say he was naked from the waist up. Miu took her place near the wall as Kenichi and Ethan faced each other. Ethan was already warmed up for the match, having taken an easier mission before the fight.
"By the order of my master, I of the Kushinada style will stand witness to this match!" declared Chikage.
Sho and Rachel recited similar lines to Chikage to show their respect.
As soon as Chikage confirmed both fighters were ready, she raised her hands high to begin the match. Ethan immediately charged forward, hoping to catch Kenichi by surprise. Unfortunately for him, Kenichi was ready as he parried the palm thrust, countering with Geimon Teipii. Ethan caught the knee from striking his face but felt his palms stinging in pain.
From there, Kenichi began to pour on the attacks, putting Ethan on the defensive. Ethan tried to change the tide with a punch to Kenichi's chest, his index and middle head knuckles jutting in an attempt to strike at a critical point to kill his enemy, only for Kenichi to parry it and land a cross counter to the face. Ethan tried to aim for another critical point to numb Kenichi's limbs, but he too fast to let Ethan get a good shot. The only time he did, Kenichi trapped his finger inside his muscles before landing a kick to the head that almost knocked him out.
'So this is the difference between us,' thought Ethan as he pushed himself up, 'It's almost laughable. To think he even knows how to fight a Kalarippayattu, which was said to be the closest to the original art. Most people have trouble with it due to its origin, and yet he seems to know my moves even though we've never fought.'
'Still, even if I lose, this will be useful for my fellow Yomi members,' concluded Ethan, taking a glance at Sho, Rachel, and Chikage, who were watching the match with razor focus, 'I will be the catalyst to push them further. But this match isn't just for them, but for myself too. Seeing someone my age already so close to becoming a master is rather inspiring. And finally, thanks to his talent, my sister is safe from Jenazad Silkwat's grasp.'
Ethan charged forward, using the Boar Stance to try to rush through Kenichi's defense. Kenichi easily sidestepped past Ethan as his face was bruised that it hindered his vision a little, letting Kenichi slip through before throwing a knee at him.
Ethan barely blocked it in time much to his own relief. However, that relief was shattered when Kenichi began to turn his whole body, twisting his attack to break through his defense.
Korui Nuki
Kenichi's kick roared right into Ethan's chest, cracking quite a few ribs. Of course, Kenichi refrained from infusing his kick with Ki, otherwise, Ethan's life would really be in danger. The damage was enough to send Ethan unconscious, though.
"The fight is over," declared Chikage, "Ryozanpaku Shirihahama Kenichi is the winner!"
Soon after the fight, Ethan went back to India to train with his master while Rachel stayed behind to not only enjoy the school life, but also locate her master's whereabouts. Ethan and Kenichi parted in good terms, shaking each other's hands with respect. It was also noted that Sho had something to rub against the armed division of Yomi. So far, most of the unarmed division was at least able to last minutes against Kenichi while Sigmaringen didn't even last half a minute.
A day later
"Still, he's still stronger than us," muttered Sho to himself as he practiced his forms inside a Yomi base, jumping into the air to perform a perfect split kick. His mind began to construct a mental battle against Kenichi, wondering if he used Seidou Goitsu to attempt to close the gap. He could see himself mounting an attack at Kenichi, his amplified strength and speed pushing towards Kenichi. And yet despite all this, he wasn't able to land a clean hit. He used Kyuu Geki Issatsu, and yet in his mind, the attack had failed to land a clean hit once more before the backlash of Seidou Goitsu hit.
Sho could see clearly that while his body was wracked in pain, Kenichi took the opportunity to attack, landing several debilitating hits before a punch knocked him unconscious.
"Shit," cursed Sho, punching a wooden dummy, cleaning snapping it in half, "How am I supposed to catch up to that?"
"Well, well, if it isn't the God Fist's disciple?" said a sarcastic male voice, causing Sho to groan to himself as he turned around to meet the said voice.
"Greetings," said Sho dully as he politely bowed, "Master Aeka and ... Baka."
"My name is Bagaye, not Baka!" shouted the younger disciple who had called out on Sho.
"But it's just so much easier to say the other way," chuckled Sho, "So what does an idiot like you want?"
"Calm down Bagaye," said Aeka as he placed a hand on his disciple's shoulder, "You'll get to prove that you're better than him."
"And how so?" asked Sho curiously.
"Follow me," ordered Aeka, "You've been summoned by the council of Kuremisago to see if you are fit to be God Fist's disciple."
"I thought he told you that he reserves the right to decide whether to keep me or not," grinned Sho, "The last time you guys tried to force him, he killed the guy you sent after him."
Aeka coughed before continuing on, "Nonetheless, this time we come to judge you. If you voluntarily leave him, then he has no say in such matters."
"Nice plan, but I'm still going to refuse," said Sho, "And there's nothing you can do about it."
"Is that so?" said Aeka with a rather malevolent voice, "It's a shame that God Fist is away right now. I can only imagine how sad it would be when he comes back to discover you dead from a raid from one of our competitors. However, I'm sure he'll get over it when he has another disciple from the Kuremisago village that is more disciplined and talented than you."
Without warning, Bagaye charged at Sho, intending to kill him. Sho easily dodged and parried his attacks, reading a knife-hand before jumping to the right to dodge another attack from the left. Sho quickly looked around to see he was surrounded by at least four more people. From what he could tell, they ranged from the disciple class up to expert class.
"You guys are really getting desperate, aren't you?" chuckled Sho as he raised his arm, taking the Tenchi Jouge stance, "Getting all these people to try to kill me."
"Laugh all you want, you won't be missed," stated Aeka before snapping his finger. The others all charged forward, two of them wielding knives in both hands.
Sho kept moving, never leaving himself a stationary target for them to gather, attacking whenever he could.
"Did you forget that I'm Akira Hongo's disciple?" grinned Sho as he managed to dodge an overextended stab, "We specialize in a certain knife hand strike."
Without mercy, Sho used his knife hand strike and stabbed his attacker in the gut. The power in his thrust was strong enough to sink into his opponent's stomach and actually break the skin. Sho immediately kicked his victim's head, sending him flying into the wall unconscious. Sho didn't bother checking if he was dead as he was more concerned about the others trying to kill him.
Soon enough, it was just him and Bagaye. Sho had managed to knock out the other disciple with a lariat, and the two expert class assassins with a knee to the face and striking several marma points with using Seidou Goitsu.
He wasn't without any injuries, though. His jacket was shredded, his left hand hanging limply from the side, his torse full of bruises, and his legs were slightly shaking.
"Looks like you've seen better days," cackled Bagaye as he slowly stepped forward, "Why don't you just give up and you might live."
"I'd rather die than give up to you," spat Sho as he spat a loogie of blood to the side.
"That can be arranged," said Bagaye as he charged forward with a right straight.
Sho ducked under it and used his right hand for a knife-hand thrust into the center of Bagaye's waist. However, when his attack connected, he felt his hand slamming into something metallic. With a wince, Sho quickly jumped back to examine his right hand, feeling it throbbing in pain.
"What's wrong? Meet something you didn't expect to be there?" taunted Bagaye as he tapped his waist, letting a metallic sound resound from each tap, "Now then both your hands are quite useless now, aren't they?"
Without even letting Sho respond, Bagaye once again charged forward, intending to finish Sho once and for all. Sho swayed away, barely dodging his attacks as he began to wrack his brain for a way out of this.
"Perhaps after I'm done with this, I'll go check out this high school that you're so fond of going and root out that weakness!" threatened Bagaye.
'And get your ass kicked by Shirahama,' thought Sho before realizing that if Bagaye went to Koryo, he might find Izumi. And if he found Izumi, he might spill all the dark secrets that Sho had kept from her, or worse, kill her. Sho growled as he decided on a gamble, his eyes glowing with traces of Ki.
Bagaye grinned as he felt his right hook land on Sho's face, feeling the impact sinking in. However, he could see in Sho's eyes that Sho wasn't done. Using the impact from the hit, Sho spun around on his left leg before using his right leg for a high kick to the head. Bagaye quickly jumped back to dodge, but Sho's reverse high kick had been a feint. Instead, he forced his right foot down into the ground, using the recoil to shoot himself forward. The left hand, which had been hanging limply, rose up once more for one last punch to Bagaye's face, using Seidou Goitsu once more.
Sho could feel the blood pounding out of his right eye as he used it, but he didn't care. He was going to win this fight.
"RRRRAAAAAAHHH!" shouted Sho as he launched his left hook.
Bagaye managed to get both his hands up to catch Sho's wrist, stopping his attack inches from his face. If Sho hadn't been weakened severely, then there would've been no way for Bagaye to catch the attack.
"It's over," grinned Bagaye before noticing that Sho wasn't done, but it was too late.
Sho's left leg was already rising up into the air, and with a last spurt of strength, Sho used his knee to slam into the elbow of his left hand, pushing his left hook forward.
Crack
Sho's left hook, infused with Seidou Goitsu, along with a knee that had also been infused with the same thing, slammed into Bagaye's head. Bagaye had been too surprised to even mount a proper defense or tighten his neck muscles. Thus, the force of Sho's attack twisted Bagaye's neck, and with a nasty crack, broke his neck, leading to death.
"I win," huffed Sho as he laid down on the ground, feeling the backlash of Seidou Goitsu kicking in.
"You damn bastard! Die!" shouted Aeka as he jumped up into the air, intending to crush Sho's head under his heel.
Aeka was so busy focused on Sho that he failed to Pnotice Akira Hongo enter the room, much less suddenly appear next to him.
"I thought I told you that I decided on my own disciples," growled Hongo with a threatening tone.
Aeka tried to dodge, but he was far too late and too slow.
Jinestuken Neijiri-Nukite
Hongo's knife hand strike pierced through Aeka's body with ease, exiting out from the back.
"Pointless and useless trash," stated Hongo as he threw Aeka's body across the room, flinging him off his hand, "I believed I warned you that if you tried such a stunt, I would kill you."
Hongo calmly walked to Sho, who could only look up at his master with a small grin. Hongo could only sigh as he picked Sho up, taking him to the nearest medical room to have him healed up. Hongo glanced around the room though, noticing the dead/unconscious bodies around.
'Three disciple class and two expert class, and my disciple managed to defeat them all,' hummed Hongo mentally, 'As much as I hate to admit, the past Sho with his past growth wouldn't have been able to defeat them all. However, after witnessing the DFOD and going to Koryo High, he's truly improved by leaps and bounds compared to his old growth. Not to mention he's actually experienced my full power and Agaard's full power in a spar.'
Hongo couldn't help but let out a small smile at his disciple's growth. The Kuremisago was wrong about Sho. He had the potential to become even greater than them.
Yomi Armed Base
Elfreda was busy practicing her shots at the base, not wanting to attract too much attention at her school. She was easily hitting her bullseye at 70 meters away, and had been ready to do a running shot when she heard a scream from her master.
"That's where I remember that damn bastard!" shouted Mildred.
"Master?" asked Elfreda, rushing over to her before seeing Mildred looking at a television set with it frozen on Mototsugu's laughing face.
"What's wrong? What did he do? Is he someone we need to be concerned about?" asked Elfreda worriedly.
"He... he… He is..," huffed Mildred, her anger getting in the way of her words.
"He is what? A danger? A threat?" pushed on Elfreda.
"He stole my targets!" screeched Mildred.
"Targets?" blinked Elfreda, "Like assassination targets? He's an assassin!?"
"He stole my hunting trophy!" shouted Mildred, pulling an arrow out, "I'll kill him!"
"Whoa, how about we calm down here a little?" said Rin, who had appeared just in time to grab a screaming Mildred from charging out the door, blood tears coming out of her eyes, "What the hell happened?"
"I... I don't know?" blinked Elfreda, "I'll get her some lemon tea to soothe her."
Several minutes later, Mildred was slowly sipping on her lemon tea in her favorite bunny cup while Rin and Elfreda sat across from her.
"Sooo... ready to explain your rage at this Shirahama Mototsugu?" asked Rin, "Last time I recalled, you said he had nothing to do with the underground world of martial arts. And there certainly aren't records of Mototsugu that warranted investigation."
"It's rather... personal," blushed Mildred.
"Nonetheless, we can't let you go out hunting for a man who has no real connections to the martial arts world," said Rin sternly.
"Master, what did you mean by hunting trophy?" asked Elfreda.
Mildred sighed as she sipped her tea, her mind slowly flashing back to that day.
Several years ago
Mildred hummed as she walked through the woods. One of her hobbies besides crocheting was actually hunting for fun. She had joined a hunting competition on a whim against others, with the task of finding the biggest targets to win the competition. So she had been tracking some deer prints, quickly jumping through the forest to track it down.
"I see you," grinned Mildred as she nocked her bow, quickly pulling back. It would be an easy win. Before she released her arrow, though, a gunshot rang through the air A second later, the deer Mildred had been hunting collapsed.
"Hahaha, it's my lucky day, isn't it Maximilian!" laughed Mototsugu, the barrel of his gun slightly smoking, "I'll be sure to win this!"
Mildred sighed as she sheathed her arrow back into her quiver, disappointed her target had been stolen.
'Still, the competition isn't just about the biggest deer,' reminded Mildred to herself, 'It's a multi-hunt competition. The deer may give him a small lead, but it's not over yet.'
Yet every time Mildred had found a target, Mototsugu was somehow always a step ahead of her. As time passed, many muscle tics had been forming onto Mildred's forehead as Choju Gigai frogs leaped around her, as if taunting her.
She would've been impressed when she saw Mototsugu snipe down four ducks in the air with his shotgun and single hand reload if it wasn't for the fact that the ducks had been her targets. Mildred almost fired her arrow at Mototsugu in anger when the fox she had hunted was stolen from her. She had shot her arrow, letting it fly from more than 150 meters away. Just as the arrow was about to make the kill shot, a bullet slammed into the ground in front of the fox, making it jump back in fright. Due to that, the arrow scraped the legs of the fox, merely leaving a gash on it. Before Mildred could take another shot, a second shot from the same gun slammed into the fox. Who else but it to be Mototsugue walking up to the fox with that irritating laugh of his that echoed through her head.
At the end of the hunting competition, she had to watch Mototsugu walk out with the first-place trophy, gnashing her teeth in anger. She wanted to hunt Mototsugu down, but that was below her and Yami. However, if someone ever did put a hit on him... she would be the first to take that job.
Flashback ends
"That's why you had that urge to throttle the man when you heard his name?" snickered Rin. He could imagine how much of a huge blow it was to her to lose in a hunting competition.
"Yea, I know, petty, right?" sighed Mildred as she drank the last of her tea.
"No, no, of course not master," placated Elfreda as best as she could.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," grinned Rin as he stood up to leave, "But seriously. Don't hold onto a grudge like that for too long. He is not a part of the underground world of martial arts, and thus not our active target."
"To be honest, I had forgotten about it until his name was mentioned, but even then I didn't realize who it was until I saw the face," admitted Mildred sheepishly, "I'm not as petty as Mihai, thank you very much."
"I didn't say you were," hummed Rin lightly, "Why don't you and your disciple go out on a little hunting trip? Hayase told me that Elfreda has been a bit strung up from school."
"It's not my fault," huffed Elfreda as she instantly crossed her arms under her considerable chest, "Some of the club members are starting to get more touchy. One of the seniors tried to use his seniority to get me to go into the storage room with him alone. I knocked him out when he did that, but he still seems persistent."
"Then it'll be a master and disciple trip," smiled Mildred, "I could use some time off to hunt and crochet a bit."
"Alright, I'll turn in a leave of absence notice to the school," cheered Elfreda as she quickly ran out to do so.
Hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter! Decided to do a little bit of a filler for this chapter. Get some romance going on with the two main characters as well as get some showtime for Saiga and the other characters. Hoped you like my 'inner working' of Disney hahaha!
I'll admit it's a bit shorter than my usual chapters, but I didn't want to put the next arc in and cut it halfway there.