I'm still alive! So, I was starting to think where to take this story since there is a long line of alternatives I could turn, but I wanted to make it unique. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! If you would like to add inputs in what you'd like me to add to the story, don't hesitate to ask. Welp, see ya!
Hey- Normal talking
Hey- Kazuto's inner monologue
'Hey'- People thinking
(Hey)- Inner circles mean places or time skips
~Flashback~
It was a quiet day in the park. Kazuto was practicing his katas in the lake with pinpoint accuracy. Shouta was looking at his katas and analyzing any key points that could be exploited in his form. All was silent with only the cool wind roaring at the sides until…
"SSSSSHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOUUUUUUUTTTTTTAAAAAA!"
...a shout that pierced the heavens was heard and broke the silent atmosphere. As Kirito was in mid-swing with his Shinai, he almost stumbled over because of the scream while Shouta had a visible tick mark at the top of his head.
'Of all the things…' Shouta thought with a twitching brow and his eyes closed. 'It's too early for this dammit!'
As Kazuto looked towards the voice, he was able to make out the outline of a man with long blond hair running towards them as if his life depended on it. The closer he got, the closer Kazuto could notice the details of the man. He is a tall, slim man with long blond hair that he wears spiked upwards and a small mustache. He has rectangular eyes with concentric greenish-yellow pupils. Not to mention how close his voice was getting…
"I GOT YOUR MESSAGE SHOUTA WHAT'S THE ISsue?" Hizashi came to a stop with his screams fading away as a question mark hung around his head when he took a look at Shouta's companion. "Huh. Don't I know you from somewhere?" he questioned Kazuto. "Wait! Don't tell me, hmm... you're a fan of our podcast aren't you!?" he exclaimed with excitement shining in his eyes.
"H-huh?" Kazuto asked cluelessly.
"Sure Hizashi." Shouta said with his voice full of sarcasm, "He tracked us down to just get an autograph."
"HAHA! I TOLD YOU WE'D MAKE IT TO THE BIG LEAGUES! BUT YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE ME! WE HAVE OUR FIRST FAN! HAHA!" Hizashi jumped with excitement.
"Hey Shouta…" Kazuto whispered to said man, "You know this old coot?"
"Ugh. Sadly" Shouta stated with a sigh.
"Hey!" Hizashi screamed with indignation, "I resent that!"
"That's beside the point…" Shouta said blandly as he ignored Hizashi sulking in a corner, "Also, didn't I tell you to not call me Shouta when I'm training you?"
"Huh?" Kazuto asked with confusion, "You did? When?"
"*Sigh* When you asked me to train you yesterday, I told you to call me Eraserhead." he finished with an emotionless voice.
"Eraser...head?" Kazuto questioned as he turned his head to the side. "Pft. HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA". Kazuto was seen rolling on the ground holding his sides. "HAHAHA. Eraserhead! HAHAHA. Pft. HAHA. What are you gonna do? Erase the problems away!? HAHA. Not to mention that with that hair...heh. Doesn't it cover your eyes or something? Hah."
"Oi." Shouta said with bland indignation, "Quit it and get to work already. As you can see, I called in a favor with Present Mic here to help with your training." he finished as Hizashi puffed out his chest in pride. Only to deflate by the next statement…
"Heehee. Eraserhead...what a weird name" Kazuto mumbled with a small grin. "Anyway, this old coot is gonna teach me?" he exclaimed with a questioning look, unsure whether he should be insulted or not.
"Hey! For your information brat, I was and still am a top tier fighter for my vanguard squad." Hizashi said with a fire in his eyes. "So you better show me some respect!" he pointed a finger at Kazuto's direction.
'Right…' Kazuto thought with a sweatdrop. 'Insulted it is…'
"Trust me kid. He may not look like much, but don't let appearances fool you. He really is what he claims to be. As for the Vanguard Squad, you'll have to earn the information through training." he said as he noticed Kazuto's questioning gaze.
"Sure. Seems easy enough." Kazuto said with a shrug. "So...where do I start? Are we supposed to train here?" he questioned as he pointed at the park.
"No. We'll go to an underground facility located somewhere near my home. You seem fired up about training. So, let's see how long you'll last before you'll be singing mercy" Shouta said with a smirk as he started walking away.
"Sure...take a kid to your home without any people watching. Nothing weird about that." Kazuto mumbled with a shiver.
"Is that doubt I hear? Because if it is, you might as well turn back with your tail between your legs." he asked as he tried to downplay his irritation.
"Tch. Bring it on Eraser! If anyone's going to turn tail, I'll make sure it's you!" Kazuto shouted with determination as he followed said man to his training facility near his home.
"U-um guys. Where are you going?" Hizashi said with a clueless expression as he sees them walking away. " Hey! Wait for me! GUYS! SO NOT COOL! GUYS!" he shouted with small tears in his eyes as he goes to catch up to them.
(Shouta's home: Training grounds)
"Here we are." Shouta stated as he reached his destination. "It doesn't seem like much, but with the Organization's help, I was able to install training facilities near the training ground."
Kazuto was looking around the Japanese styled home that closely resembled his own, but was contrasted with the colors of black and gold. As he took a closer look, he was able to see many cat statues looking at him as if guarding their home.
'Talk about single...the cats are weird.' Kazuto thought, 'Sheesh just the place itself is giving me the creeps'
"Oi. Wipe that look off your face!" Shouta exclaimed, "I did tell you that it wasn't the best!"
"I don't know. It looks great to me!" Hizashi said with cheerfulness in his voice as he finally caught up to them.
"Moving on, there is a door on the right side of the building. That is where your training facility will be located." Shouta said as he pointed to a two-story house with marbled tiles running diagonally across each other with a black door. "I want you to come to this exact facility every five days. Two days are given to you to relax and make sure you don't overwork yourself got it?" he asked with a sharp glare.
"Got it." Kazuto said with a nod. 'This'll be a piece of cake!'
{Queue Song: "Miss Jackson"- Panic at the Disco}
(One week later)
'Not a piece of cake! I repeat! Not a piece of cake!' Kazuto thought frantically as he was dodging knives thrown his way left and right.
"Come on brat!" Eraserhead shouted in between each knife throw. "At least try to dodge faster!"
"Geez." Kazuto remarked with spiteful sarcasm, "Right. It's not like I'm giving it my all to try to I don't know...survive here!?" he shouted as he dodged a knife that would surely cut his left eye. "Oh no, I'm just a glutton for pain."
"Tch. Stupid brat…your mouth can surely run with those endless quips of yours. Too bad I can't say the same about you though." Eraserhead shouted back with the same amount of sarcasm
"Tch. Fucking eraser…" Kazuto grunted in a low tone as he took a look at the area and spotted his safe grace walk in.
"Hey Mic! Help me out here! This guy's a slave driver! This is borderline child abuse!" he pleaded as he felt his muscles aching.
"Hm. No can do buddy. This is part of your training. Hehe" Present Mic said as he felt Eraserhead shoot him a heated glare. 'Besides, I'd prefer to live. Kinda got a date to go to today.' he thought as he tried to ignore Kazuto's betrayed look as he walked out the door.
"You dick! I bought you fried chicken on Friday and this is how you repay me!?" Kazuto shouted until he felt cold dread fill the area as a chill ran down his spine.
"Now then…" Eraserhead said with a smirk, "Where were we?"
"M-mercy?" Kazuto pleaded slowly with an eye smile.
"Heh. We're all out of mercy." Eraserhead stated as his eyes seemed to turn a ruby red and the lights inside the training facility flickered wildly. All in all, giving him a demonic appearance.
'Dear god, I'm going to die!' mini Kazuto thought inside of his mind with tears falling down his face.
(Two months)
"You know the basis of control and endurance, that's good." Eraserhead said with a small nod. "Is the Shinai the only weapon you know how to use?"
"Well, my grandfather taught me to use a Chokuto before so...kinda?" Kazuto said with a shrug.
"Hm. That's good for front-line assault. However, you need to learn to use a long-range weapon or something close to it if you want to fight as a member of the Organization." said Eraserhead.
"As long as it's not a gun, I'm good." Kazuto stated as a dark aura surrounded him.
"Noted." Eraserhead blandly stated. "Anyway, follow me. I have a room full of weapons you can choose from. Hopefully, you'll find one that suits you."
As Kazuto and Eraserhead were walking to said room, Kazuto was thinking of the types of weapons he should get and which ones are sure to benefit him. Eraserhead, on the other hand, was debating on whether or not he should buy a cat. He likes cats...sue him.
"Here we are." Eraserhead stated as a range of weapons stood before them. Many weapons ranging from sniper rifles to small throwing knives and swords.
Kazuto was looking around the room with a curious gaze while blatantly ignoring the guns in the room. The longer he walked, the more he found endless weapons that just didn't feel right. In his last stop, he found a box of a red fox with pitch-black eyes. Curiosity overtaking him, he opened the box and found a pair of escrima sticks with the design of a Chinese white dragon on the right side while the left side held the design of a red fox.
"What about this one Eraser?" Kazuto questioned as said man was looking at the weapons carefully.
"Those are prototypes made from the Organization. They have a set of unique features that you could find out about along the way. However, you should learn to use mock weapons first. Also, I suggest learning to use a staff as it is one of its main feature." Eraserhead nodded in approval.
"Alright!"
(Six months later)
"Cool *huff* so the escrima sticks *huff* connect," Kazuto said through short pants.
"Yep." Mic said from the sidelines. "Pretty cool no?"
"Uh-huh. Although Eraser could have told me beforehand. I almost poked my eye out when I put them close together and saw them connect!" Kazuto moaned.
"I did." Eraser said as he walked into the room. "You were just too focused on the weapon to hear me. You looked like a damn kid in a candy store. I hate those."
"Tch. Whatever" Kazuto muttered in embarrassment.
"Hm. Hate the kids or the candy?" Hizashi asked as he stared at Eraser with a questioning look.
"Isn't it obvious Mic? I hate both." Eraser said with a bored look as he left the room.
(Three months)
"Alright…" Kazuto thought out loud as he connected the escrima sticks together with a *click* as they turned into a bo staff, "think of the staff as your partner and you the conductor!"
He started to twirl his staff around with expertise while adding some punches and kicks in between his movements. He was able to master the staff in the two months given since there was a note attached to the box showing versatile fighting styles. These fighting styles ranged from frontal assault and defense to aerial attacks from afar. One important feature he found really interesting was that if he pressed a button on the right escrima stick while in staff form, he was able to send high voltage shockwaves into a person's nervous system to paralyze them momentarily if hit. On the other hand, if he pressed a button on the left escrima stick, he was able to extend a blade from the end of the staff to create a deadly combination of attack and defense into one.
The best one he found so far was a note by a man dubbed 'Nightwing' that gave information about the initial mechanics of the device and how to utilize them properly to their fullest potential. The weird part was that it said "retired pro hero". He, later on, dismissed the name since he got training to do...and then he'll have tacos for lunch!
(A month and a half later)
"Today will be your last day brat," Eraser said with a sigh. "As such, I guess I can finally explain to you why you had to undergo this training in the first place. Are you ready?" at Kazuto's nod, he continued.
"As I said before, Mic and I are part of an organization known as the 'Hero Society'. As the name suggests, we are heroes of sorts. However, as Mic here..." he said as he points to said man across the room who simply raised his hand into a peace sign. "...is part of the main branch of heroes that guards the people to give hope, I am part of a second branch that specializes in assassination and espionage. I'm what they call 'Underground heroes'. We are the roots of the organization that fights in the shadows to keep the tree alive. Therefore, it is within our organization's law to wear masks in order to hide our identity."
"Hmm. So I'm guessing that you gave me this day to think about the Organization I would want to work for right?" At Hizashi and Shouta's gazes, he stated without a second thought. "If I were to choose to be part of the 'Underground' would there be more restraints? Would I be looked at as a vigilante?"
"I'm not going to lie to you and say you won't kid." Shouta sighed. "What you're signing up for, if you choose to go along with it, is to kill and exterminate your target. No matter the way you see it, some people would look at you in disgust while some would only look at you with indifference."
"Then it's settled then!" Kazuto stated with determination. "I'm not in it for the glory anyway. I...just want to live in a world where people don't have to fear for their lives or the lives of those they hold dear!"
"Besides, I've experienced how it makes you feel first hand." he said sadly as he looked at his hand that curled up into a fist. "I say...screw the glory! I will be a hero. Not just for me, but for those that would have to feel hardship! I would want to be their guiding light."
Just as Kazuto finished, Shouta smiled, a genuinely happy smile as he presented Kazuto with a box with a mask. "Good. Then from here on out, I would like to welcome you within the Organization's second branch. I, commander of the second branch, Eraserhead, welcome you Kazuto Kirigaya as a hero within the 'Underground'. Now, choose an alias to go by. You will have your first assignment within three weeks."
Shouta stood up from his sofa as he went to the door. "But first, I've got a phone call to make to the higher-ups. By the way, nice going kid." he said as he looked back. "I'm proud of you."
When the door closed, Hizashi and Kazuto were the only ones inside the room. Hizashi was too busy playing Mario Kart on his Nintendo Switch to talk to Kazuto. He was still bummed out at the fact that his date ran away because he accidentally spilled hot soup on the woman's dress. He was a nervous wreck goddammit! Any man would make the same mistake he did...
Kazuto was too focused on his mask. Soaking up all the details. Its color consisted of red with black outlines. The mask itself was detailed to look like a snarling monkey face. Its most distinctive feature being black vines that intertwined and connected along its right eye. (Same mask as Enji Koma from Tokyo Ghoul but with a tint of black along with black vines instead of markings)
"Kuroi-bara…" Kazuto thought out loud as a flashback of the time with his grandfather came to his mind.
~Flashback~
"Hey grandfather." a young Kazuto asked said man, "I've heard that a red rose is the prime depiction of beauty. Do you agree with that statement?"
"Well." Enji thought with his hand at his chin. "Beauty depends on the eyes of others. Not everyone agrees with each other in finding out what truly is 'beauty'. It all comes down to your perspective."
"So, in other words, there is no definition of beauty that we can all agree on?"
"No." Enji then pointed at a withering red rose. "See that rose?" at Kazuto's nod, he continued. "That rose may look like it is losing its beauty and turning into a stellar black color, but I think that black suits the rose after its withering form. Although the change of color seems cruel, it is the essence of true beauty within itself. In simple terms, there is no changing true beauty because beauty is within any shape or size. There is no color that defines beauty but the beauty of normal change. That is what makes the color black in a rose so enticing." Enji finished with a small smile as he looked at the sky.
'True beauty in its regular form huh' Kazuto thought with a smile. 'For an old man, you're pretty wise...grandfather.'
~Flashback end~
"My codename will be Kuroi-bara" Kazuto thought with a smirk. 'Although Kuro could make it easier...Eh.' he shrugged, 'Either one's fine.'
(Three weeks later)
Kazuto was riding a Harley Davidson [futuristic] black and red motorcycle in an endless daze. Well, daze in the eyes of the people that heard the revving of his motorcycle's engine in the night. If it were just that simple... He roamed around the streets in high speed as he thought back to the talk he received from his mentor Eraserhead.
~Flashback~
"Kuroi-bara, your first assignment was a direct order from the Organization." Shouta said with an emotionless face as he handed the masked Kazuto a folder of the target. "His name is Kirei Arashi. He's part of a mafia known as the Shiei Hasaikai. He is the adopted son of the main branch family of Karasu." Shouta elaborated, "This man uses his looks to attract women in order to lure them into an alley and kill them. He is a sociopath with no ulterior motive. You are to find him near the next sighting and eliminate him. The key to your vehicle is within that folder along with the location of said vehicle. "
As Shouta turned around to walk back into his office, he turned to look at Kazuto. "One more thing. He is known to roam at night in the precise location at the time of 11:15. Any later and the victim would be seen only as a red smudge on the ground. I can't stress this enough. Any later and she's dead got it? So make sure to go early and ensure the victim's safety. Failure to do so is not an option." he finished with a hard gaze.
Kazuto was inspecting the picture. Trying to burn every detail of the man's face into his mind. From his stark black suit and matching slacks to his unruly red hair tied in a ponytail with black eyes and a mole on his bottom lip followed by a beard around his round face.
"Got it, Captain. I won't let you down!" Kazuto finished with a salute.
~Flashback end~
"Eliminate him? Huh." Kazuto pondered in a small whisper as he proceeds to the detailed location. The more he looked around the more he doubted he was in the right place. As luck may have it, he was able to make out tidbits of a small argument going on said location near the back alley. He left his motorcycle near the end of a building close to the alley in order to assess the situation. The closer he got, so did the voices. When he took a look at the seat behind him, his eyes were glued. Not to the man and his would-be victim, but something else entirely.
"P-please" the woman whimpered, "L-leave me a-alone I'm begging you." she pleaded as she heard the clicking of the revolver, signaling the closing in of her death by the greedy bullet that's eager to pierce her skin.
"Oh? Come now, don't be afraid. You were so eager to come with me before. So what changed?" the man said with a mocking smile. However, it was at this moment that Kazuto wasn't paying attention to the man, but rather the gun. A Type 54 Black Star...the same gun that was used to kill his grandfather. The same damn gun that he used to kill him. It was at this precise moment, that he lost himself. Screw the teachings engraved to him! He wants this man dead one way or another!
"Now my sweet..." the man said with a deranged grin as he got closer to her. "...get ready to-"
"DIE!" a black figure shouted in rage with a war cry as his escrima sticks changed shape to that of a black dagger. His stealth training, all but forgotten, as he went for a pierce to the heart. Any pleading to just disarm the man was nothing more than small whispers at the back of his head.
As the would-be-killer went to turn to the noise, his eyes lost focus and his breath hitched. As he turned, the red velvety liquid of blood was the only noise in the silent moonlight. It was then that the sound of pierced flesh danced around in the silent alley with the black daggers making a final encore of death as the man's eyes faded to white.
"Ugh *pant* *pant*" Kazuto tried to focus as he drowned out the screams of the woman as she whimpered in seeing her would-be-savior dyed in a crimson red. As the woman was about to pass out, Kazuto quickly grew a hold of her and laid her next to the wall, all the while ignoring her silent babbling of "thank you" mixed with "please leave me alone". Through all this, his mind was on autopilot as he tried to get into his motorcycle and play out the events that just had occurred. The more he drove, the farther the alley got and the closer his mentor's house was nearing.
As he got closer to the house and took off his helmet to knock on the door, his adrenaline decided to wear off and he collapsed with tears welling in his eyes as he processed what he had done.
He had killed a man...not for the greater good or the greater evil. He only...did.
Was there any point at all? Was there ever a plan? Just what...am I? I did the right choice I think. Tch. Too late to back down now. But...I took his life without any remorse! Is this the action of a hero...or a monster? Heh. Not even the first day on the job and I feel so numb. Death is such a tragedy. However, the fine line danced between a simple tragedy and a needed death is the resultant in the end. So, I guess I could be an agent of darkness. Hmm. Are those footsteps? How peculiar...
Side note: Kuroi-bara means Black Rose if you're wondering
