Chapter 6: Carnival Corpse

Alex tapped his foot waiting for the cage to hit the floor. His opponent was Ostrich a fighter with years of experience under her belt and a habit of seriously maiming her opponents as Chaplin had filled him in. The cages then hit the floor and the announcer called out.

"First up, he may not look like much but he has gained a reputation as a bloodthirsty killer in America, give a warm welcome to the Hawk!" Alex's cage opened and he walked out. Several lights were on him and many cartoon avatars were looking right at him.

"Wait, THIS is the demon of new York?"

"He looks like a common street punk."

"What the hell happened to his clothes?" Alex didn't know what to make of this, the sudden attention was new to him and he shrunk a little. He was out of his element being the center of attention usually ended bad in his line of work so he avoided it as much as possible and even then ended up getting found out because of his powers. Lights then focused on the cage across from him and a voice bellowed.

"And now a girl with a bite to match her bark, make some noise for the Ostrich!" the other cage then opened and a small blond woman stepped out with her hands in her pockets. She seemed to be a little older than Alex and had her hair in a ponytail and had emerald green eyes. She wore a orange sweatshirt and grey sweatpants with matching sandals. The two looked at each other both unmoving from their spots.

"So you're Hawk? I was expecting a little more from all the hype." Ostrich said stretching out her arms. "Oh well, It still an easy win." Saying this she slipped a knife out from her sleeve and cut the palm of her hand. In response Alex lifted his wrist up to his mouth and bit down drawing blood.

"Sweetie im a lot of things, but easy isn't one of them." He said forming his claws.

"Deadmen, BLEED." Alex ran at her as she stood with her hands behind her back. He didn't know what kind of strategy this was supposed to be but he also didn't care as he got closer and was almost within hitting distance when he felt something move under his feet and jumped back just as jagged blood spikes erupted from his path. To his surprise the spikes then shot out at him one hitting him right in the shoulder. Letting out a yell of pain and stumbling back he grabbed the spike and pulled it out before throwing it to the floor.

"Good work Hawk. That move usually ends the match! But I don't mind playing with you a little more." The remaining spikes then retreated back into the ground and she sat Indian style putting her hands under her legs. "Dodge this!" Alex then felt more movement from the ground as what he assumed was her blood started moving to his sides. Realizing her plan he spread out his arms and pointed his open hands out forming the barrier just as spikes shot out from the ground. He smirked as her eyes went wide.

"Oh come, on don't tell me you're surprised I guessed you were gonna do something that simple." The audience was going nuts as Ostrich shook her head.

"How the hell do you have two?"

Chaplins jaw hung open as she stared at the screen, she then turned over to Hunter who was the only one in the room unfazed. Minatsuki actually looked a little afraid and held her hands close to her chest. Idaki Had lifted up one side of his leather strap to look at the screen for himself. Hunter looked around realizing everyone else was having a shocked reaction.

"What's wrong? You guys are acting like we didn't just watch two other people fight with their blood as weapons." Chaplin then ran over to Hunter and yelled.

"HE HAS TWO!?" Hunter tried to move further back into the couch.

"Is that... Not normal?" Minatsuki then spoke up.

"Everyone else in G-Block only has one branch of sin." She then looked down shyly "Umm Hunter if you don't mind me asking, how many does he have?" Without thinking Hunter answered.

"Well I've seen him use five or six." Chaplis jaw then opened even wider and Idaki stepped forth.

"My daughter says he has many more than six."

Still in between the spikes Alex tilted his head.

"Two what?" He asked confused.

"Two branches of sin!" Ostrich yelled also confused albeit for a different reason.

"The fuck's a branch of sin?"

"Our powers!" She yelled again this time more annoyed than anything else.

"Hold on doesn't everyone who can do what we do have more than one?"

"NO!"

"Oh, well you're going to hate me then." he withdrew his hands from the barriers leaving them standing as he reformed his claws and shot his fingers at her. Rolling out of the way just in time to avoid being impaled she didn't see Alex swing his hand in her direction. the fingers made a loud crack as they moved course and slashed her across her back. Screaming out in pain she slammed her palm against the ground and Alex felt movement much closer before another spike shot out of the ground and into his leg. He then let out his own scream and swinging his claw down shattering the blood. He then turned and held his hand out to the blood barriers calling them over to him and sending them around his lower body looking like a second skin.

"You know what? you were right I do hate you!" Ostrich spat now in a position where she was more prepared to move if need be. Alex then ran at her again with the intention of closing the distance but a wall of spikes surrounded her and Alex slowed to a stop.

"What's the matter, afraid of a fair fight?"

"Like you're one to talk!" She then fired more spikes at him but Alex now knowing what to expect swung his claws knocking them out of the air. He was getting nowhere, he need to stop her from shooting so he could get in closer. Then he got an idea and started running but this time when she shot her spikes he slid under them and sent the blood from his legs around the spike wall and formed his barrier. "SHIT!" She screamed as Alex kicked off the barrier and jumped into the air ready to finish the fight. Ostrich wasn't done yet however and recalled all of her blood before holding her palm out and sending a long jagged blood poll at his chest. Alex managed to twist himself enough to avoid the fatal hit but still received a cut across the chest. while falling down he managed to punch her bringing her down with him. Once on the ground she reacted faster climbing on him and pulling her hand back with a shorter spike sticking out ready to kill. He moved his head just in time for her to miss and counter attacked with a fist to her face causing her to reel back in pain standing up and giving Alex enough time to reach his hand over to his shoulder calling all of his blood to his arm condensing into a normal sized arm with a round ball where his fist would be. She backed off and once again pointed her hand at him. "Will you fucking die already!" In response he swung his blood arm at her but rather than move with the rest of the arm the ball extended out on a blood tendril and acting as a mace swinging into her outstretched arm with a sickening crack. Her arm then fell limp at her side and she screamed moving her other hand to hold where the ball had hit. Standing up Alex recreated his claws and walked over to her realising this she placed her knife into her mouth and was about to cut her other hand with it when Alex reached to the back of her head and grabbed her hair tightening his fist as hard as he could and pulling up. She instinctively tried to pull his hand away but it was no use as she stood there now helpless. Alex then made a fist with his other claw and hit her right in between the eyes knocking her out cold.

"And just like he surprised us with his branches of sin the Hawk once again surprises us with a massive upset victory by knockout!" The crowd once again went wild.

"Holy hell did you see that?"

"I counted four, five if you count the fingers."

"Come on Hawk show us one more please!" Alex smugly smiled and held out his arms. enjoying the roar of the crowd.

Hunter finally relaxed seeing Alex's victory he had been on the edge of his seat the entire time even wincing at the more serious blows he took.

"Oh thank god! I thought Ostrich was going to skewer him, The cute ones never do last long." Chaplin spoke looking over at Hunter who had a worried look on his face. "Oh not that you aren't good looking, honestly all three of you are quite the lookers." Hunter shook his head at that comment.

"That's not it, its just that...well..." Chaplin put her arm around Hunter and laughed.

"Sweetie you can ask me whatever you want, there's no need to be shy."

"Well, Alex and Ganta have both fought already but I still don't know if I have to." Chaplins face then turned slightly somber.

"Oh that's right, im sorry I forget how daunting it can be when you're new." She rubbed his back in a comforting manner. "Im sorry but yes you will have to fight today but your match is the last one lined up so you still have about two hours to prepare." Hunter looked down and instantly felt dread building in his gut, he needed to learn to use his branch and he needed to learn fast. Where was Alex?

.

Alex was currently being led down a hallway by two armed guards both holding submachine guns.

"Either of you wanna tell me where we're going or am I just gonna be left in the dark?"

"Pipe down, we're almost there." One of the guards barked at him. He shrugged and followed them for another minute before they came to a door. One of the guards knocked and the the door opened revealing none other than Tamaki who seemed delighted at Alex's presence.

"Oh Alexander my dear boy come in, come in!" Alex did so being lead into a large white room in it there were three people, the first was a man with long red hair in what seemed to be black monks robes with a flame pattern, what could pass as normal religious beads if not for the tiny skull dangling from it. He held what looked like an electric guitar but it wasn't hooked up to anything. He sat on a large chair tuning the guitar. The next person Alex noticed was a little girl around seven or eight years old. She had orange hair that was pulled back into a bun and wore a light pink dress with red ribbons on it. She lay on the ground writing on a paper next to a comically large dog style backpack. The last stranger was a man around Alex's age sitting at a computer he had black hair that reached his eyebrows wore a black long sleeved shirt with some kind of logo on it and gray cargo pants. Tamaki spoke catching their attention "Everyone I'd like to introduce you to Alexander Kato A.K.A The Hawk!" The red head stood up and walked over to the two.

"Sup, new guy? I'm Genkaku but please, Call me the Uber Monk." He then held out his hand which Alex grabbed and shook.

"Uber Monk? Well whatever it's good to meet you." The man at the computer looked up and let out a grunt of acknowledgment then went back to typing. "Don't mind him, we got Rokuro working on something pretty important." The sound of squeaking then caught Alex's attention as he looked past Genkaku to see the girl had walked over.

"Hello mister, my name is Hibana, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She then gave a polite bow.

"Well you seem pretty well behaved for a kid your age, I know I wasn't that well behaved at your age. Hell, I still ain't." She smiled and said.

"Thank you mister! My momma taught me very well!" Tamaki the put a hand on Alex's shoulder and said.

"Now that introductions are out of the way lets get down to business, I would like you to join these fine people and become an Undertaker!" Alex now looked confused.

"Question, what's an Undertaker?"

"Ah, yes that's right you probably haven't heard yet, well to make a long story short they're my personal anti-Deadman army, they make sure not riots or jailbreaks happen while"

"So more or less you all keep G-block in check?" Alex said looking back to the people in the room Genkaku gave a thumbs up and Hibana nodded. Rokuro kept typing.

"That's right and if you decide to join then you will be handsomely rewarded both with money and information on that Zeus fellow you asked about." Alex could help but feel there was a catch to this offer so he asked.

"And if I don't"

"Yes, well you see you already know far too much for us to let you leave, I won't have you killed but you will need be put in solitary until our little operation is complete." Alex frowned and all but blurted out.

"Not gonna lie, this feels like more of an ultimatum rather than a choice." Tamaki nodded and said.

"Oh make no mistake, it is." Alex sighed, the way he saw it this was a no brainer even without the threat of solitary confinement. Alex needed to find Zeus and tell him about the woman in red and the hoodie guy. He didn't know why they wanted him to kill Zeus and he didn't care they had royally fucked up when they got him thrown in prison. He was going to make them both pay and Zeus was the key to that. He just needed Tamaki to find him.

"Alright, im in what do you want me to do?"

"Ah excellent! I knew you'd make the right call! Don't worry about specifics for now, Rokuro will fill you in when the time comes. For now go back to your little"

"Actually there is one more thing." "Do you know where I can get some new clothes"

Hunter had started pacing. He didn't know what to do, he needed Alex to teach him how to use his blood but he was nowhere to be found. The other weren't mach help, Chaplin told him beer could help calm his nerves but the thought of fighting someone drunk didn't sound like a very good answer. Minatsuki's assurances that Alex would just be a few more minutes had worked at first, but then ten minutes turned to fifteen, then fifteen to twenty, then thirty and then she just didn't know what to say anymore. Idaki or his daughter as he claimed said that Hunter should try breathing exercises but those just didn't work. They had tried and hunter was thankful for that but in the end it had all just made him more anxious. Then the door opened and Hunter expected the guard to come in and tell him he had to come for the physical but instead Alex walked in wearing a new outfit. Or rather a old outfit he had recreated with new clothes, he was now wearing a button up white long sleeve dress shirt and blue jeans, instead of dress shoes he had opted for black running shoes.

"Well I say he cleans up rather nicely wouldn't you agree!" Chaplin said looking him up and down with a wolfish grin. Minatsuki blushed and looked away mumbling something no one could quite understand. Hunter didn't seem to care as he walked right up to Alex and said.

"Alex I need to learn how to fight. I have a match in one hour!" Alex raised an eyebrow and said.

"What I don't even get a hello first."

"Alex this is serious!" Alex rolled his eyes.

"If it was that serious then why didn't you ask them to teach you?" Hunter looked down thinking of what to say before rubbing the back of his head and speaking in English.

"Well it's just I don't think Minatsuki is much of a fighter. Chaplin is nice but I don't wanna say accidentally say something that might make her mad. And I don't even know how to talk with Idaki." Alex sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, he was noticing a pattern, Hunter had at some point latched onto him like a lovesick puppy. Alex didn't mind at first, it was nice having someone normal to talk to but lately besides Ganta Hunter didn't really talk to many other people. And now it was a problem hunter had wasted valuable time that could have been spent training waiting for Alex. He needed to fix this but there was no time, right now Hunter needed to learn how to fight and it was up to Alex to teach him.

"Fine, fine. Does anyone know where me and him can train." Minatsuki's hand went up.

"Umm I know a place." Alex stepped to the side and motioned out the door.

"Alright then dollface, lead the way."

Major story Changes: Alex does not kill Ostrich in this version,

Alex: In the original Alex did not land a single hit on Ostrich before winning with a surprise branch switch.

Hunter: Hunter much less reliant on Alex for guidance in the original version.