Hey, guys. I just finished Chapter 13 today, and boy, is this one long. It's a lot longer than the others, because it is more of a transitional chapter and not much happens here, but we DO get to see more development with Tsau and Zi. Anyway, the big thing that I'll change from now on is that ALL of the flashbacks will be in chronological order for Tsau.

Chapter 13: Aswad Revisited

"Tsau, wait up!" a young, feminine voice shouted behind him. "You walk too quickly!"

Tsau, dressed in his bright, red scholar robes, turned around and watched Zi scurry forward with her scroll. "You walk too slowly!" he replied with a smile.

She caught up with him and caught a few breaths. "How are your studies coming along?"

Her friend turned and continued walking along the wooden arch bridge. "Do you mind telling me yours?"

The bridge arched over a small, peaceful pond with graceful flora and fauna that inhabited it. The afternoon sun was reflected off of the nearly clear water of the pond, and the chirp of birds could have brought an angry person to peace. White lotus petals floated in the pond, drifting about in peace and silence. Tsau was heading home, since study sessions were over.

"Hey, come on," Zi said. "I questioned you first. Tsau, look at me."

Tsau turned around to his fellow scholar. "Okay, tell you what. If I answer your batch of questions for today, then you have to promise that you'll come over to my house for dinner. Deal?"

"Dinner?" Zi asked. "What are you trying to do?"

Tsau paused for a moment and was a bit speechless. "Well…I just…want to get to know you better…"

Zi looked at him in an odd manner. "Get to know me better?"

"If I could put it in more gentle words, then I would," Tsau said with a smirk. "But, you know, how else can I put it? I just want to get to know you."

The young woman looked down and thought for a moment. This was one of those times where Tsau managed to make her blush. "Gee…I don't know if I have the time."

"Then I guess you've got better matters to attend do," Tsau replied, snapping close the small fan that he had in his hand. "Look, I've also got my own things to do if you're too busy. See you later then, Izzi."

Zi broke from her blush and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you keep calling me that!? My name is Zi Kwon Lang…"

"You'll always be Izzi in my memory, so get used to it," he said teasingly. "You know that some of your friends have been putting bets that you wouldn't get to me?"

She gasped with her mouth open. "How dare they…argh…I'll show them…"

"Yeah, well. I have to go, Izzi," Tsau replied with a light expression. "I have to get home quickly…and I gotta say, I'm a pretty darn good cook. I'm not pointing anything out, however…"

Zi squinted with suspicion. "Why so open all of a sudden?"

"My parents won't be home. They'll be on a trip to the imperial city for a few weeks. I just wanna spend some time. It's going to be a little lonely, and I think I'll need the company of someone to keep the burglars away," Tsau explained.

"I think I have to be somewhere with my friends tonight," Zi replied nervously, giving herself a slight cool with her fan.

"You can forget your friends," Tsau replied, edging closer to her. "You've been around with me before. You know that Tsau will always be a lot more fun."

She let go of a subtle, but cute smile and gazed into his eyes. "Okay, tonight. I'll have to tell my parents that I'm going over to study with you. They trust you enough to let me go."

"Come on, Izzi. Of course they'll let you. Your dad's a pirate, and he knows me pretty well since I've visited you guys a few times," Tsau replied with a nod. "I'll see you tonight."

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Although his head was heavy, Tsau woke up with his mind cleared of thoughts. He felt much better, considering the damage he took in his last fight with the Atrocity. Thinking about the words that came from his opponent's mouth, Tsau felt a slight guilt coming on to him. The Atrocity was just a man fighting for his people, and Tsau has taken away that chance of salvation. After that thought, his let his mind overpower his emotions and told himself that it wasn't his fault. In all truthfulness, Atrocity wanted to fight him, and the outcome was the outcome; nothing more, nothing less. Only the strongest and most ruthless would survive.

Getting up from his bed, he noticed that Zi was sitting in the chair at the corner of his cabin, sound asleep. From the looks of outside, it seemed to be morning. Tsau got up and stretched his body, cracking all the tight bones and loosening his muscles. The White Falcon symbol was tattooed on his back and moved in odd ways as Tsau flexed his perfectly toned muscles. Standing up discreetly, he noticed that his pants were off and he was wearing his underpants. Tsau quickly spotted his pants and put them back on in a quiet manner. He couldn't find his undershirt, so he ignored it. Before stepping outside, he kindly grabbed the blankets that covered him and put them over Zi, watching her cute little breaths as she slept for another moment. He felt different this time around. Why was he all of a sudden feeling good about himself? He didn't do anything relatively good to feel a sense of peace inside. Tsau then broke from his gaze and went outside, trying to scoff away his sudden positive feelings.

With the morning sun evident, Tsau's body felt really cramped, so out on the deck, he decided to do a small workout to rejuvenate his muscles and bones.

"Feeling better?" Will's voice said loudly to him from up at the helm.

Tsau almost smiled, but held it back. "I feel great….thanks for asking…" he replied in a slight hesitant sense.

Will smiled. "'Tis a beautiful day. Enjoy it."

"Yeah," Tsau said, putting his leg up on the shipside to stretch it. "I'll try."

As he was stretching out, Will continued talking. "You were out for two days…we had to take extra care of you. Especially your friend, Zi. She had a watchful eye on you day and night."

"I don't think I needed any extra help," Tsau replied in his normal tone. "Thanks anyway."

He then fell forward and did pushups upon impact to the ground, and fast ones, at that, but after a quick 20 pushups, a pair of boots came into vision and walked until they were right in front of him. Tsau looked up and saw Zi, who was looking at him with a soft look on her face. He stood up and looked into her eyes.

"Hey there," Tsau said in a gentle voice.

She looked at him and smiled softly. "I stitched up your shirt."
Zi handed over Tsau's undershirt to him and he slipped it on. "Thanks for fixing it."

In the soft, mellow moment between the two, Zi just returned with a smile and walked away, back down to the cabins. Tsau watched her until she was gone, noticing that she took a pause in her steps to slightly look over her shoulder, with her smooth black hair tied in an odango (bun-like) fashion, with a Chinese pin holding it up. He found himself watching the direction where she left after she was long gone.

"I saw that," a voice said behind him. Tsau turned around and saw Elizabeth walking up to him. She let out a laugh, and noticed that Tsau chuckled a bit, too. The laughing moment then passed. "How are you feeling?"

Tsau shrugged. "I'm feeling good. I think I can fight."

"Easy there," Elizabeth said with a smile. "Intelligence over strength."

The Falcon paused for a moment, remembering that he replied similar words to Zhao once. "Yeah. I know."

"You look serene, today," Elizabeth then said. "Not as tense as you usually are."

He shrugged again. "Is there a reason to be serene?"

"Zi," Elizabeth replied. "She seems to be emotionally affected by what happens to you."

"That's not good," he said. "It just means that she has another weakness."

She shook her head. "It's okay to be vulnerable, Tsau. It's okay to be weak."

"Not where I come from," Tsau replied in that same deep assassin-like tone. He turned around and resumed his workout. "Where I come from, people will take that as an opportunity, and use it against you."

"People like you?" Zi said from behind, catching him off guard.

Tsau turned around and faced her. "Yeah. People like me, but as I said before, I'm not a sadist. I don't kill for the love of it."

"But you do it anyway," she immediately replied. Tsau didn't respond and kept his workout going.

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A few hours later, they reached the busy docks of Aswad Mohit, which had not changed since they were last here. Will and the rest of his crew marveled at the well-constructed and busy city, eyeing the many sandstone buildings and the busy merchants. Tsau, who stood alongside Will, Elizabeth, and Zi on the shipside, buckled up his wristblade as they drew closer.

"So," Tsau started, looking down at the wristblade as he snapped the buckles shut. "I guess it's back into the frying pan, then. Welcome to a city of sin, Mr. Turner."

Will watched the docks and the buildings. He noticed that there was one central building in the middle that towered over the others, and guessed it was where the government was. "It's beautiful."

"Its people aren't," Tsau replied, finally looking up at the city. Zi, on the other end of the three, turned to look at Tsau as she heard him say that. "Don't find a warm welcome in the part of town where we're going. There's no love for you in the heart of the city."

Will turned to look at him as he popped out his wristblade, then back in. "You're rather…cynical, aren't you?"

"Sure," Tsau said, tweaking with the blade. "Call me what you want. The way I am is based on the life I was given."

Elizabeth also slightly turned to hear what he said. He told her those same words once, too. "How long will we be here?"

Tsau tried working the mechanical blade again. "Long enough that your husband will have to stay on board. We could be here for awhile. A few weeks, tops."

"Those soldiers are coming after us," Zi noted. "Like the one you fought earlier. Surely you won't end up the same way you did?"

"If I do," Tsau said in a lighter mood. "That just means you'll have the pleasure of undressing me again."

All three of them looked at him in an unusual manner. He returned with a raised eyebrow and a slightly cocky smirk.

Zi had her mouth opened in false disgust as she tried to express it. "That's not what I meant. I didn't like undressing you!"

"Hey," Tsau replied in that light mood again, noticing her pouting. "It's just a statement. Why get so defensive about it?"

"I don't care if it's a…argh! Whatever," she crossed her arms and turned her head away, seeming to pout. Will and Elizabeth each turned their heads to whomever was speaking, seemingly amused by their conversation.

Elizabeth looked down. "Returning to the subject at hand, do you think they'll pose any threat to us here? Do you think you'll attain severe damages like your last confrontation?"

"It won't happen here," Tsau then said in his serious voice as the Dutchman was beginning to dock. "These streets are mine, and I know them better than Zhao's Deaths. I'll be invisible when the next adversary comes for me."

When the ship docked, Tsau packed up his belongings and stepped off the ship. Behind him was Zi, but Elizabeth stayed.

"You're not coming?" Zi asked her.

"I'll visit in a few days," Elizabeth replied. "I want to spend time with my family."

Tsau waited for Zi. "You do that," he said in slight support. "When I have more answers, I'll return.

Elizabeth waved to them as they disappeared amidst the crowds and crowds of people, no longer visible to her eyes.

As they walked, Tsau looked at his childhood friend. "Watch out for some of these people. They aren't the nicest individuals you'll meet."

"I've been around pirates," Zi then stated.

Tsau kept a straight face before putting his hood up, shading his face. "But not killers."

"I've been around you," Zi replied. "The coldest assassin that I've come across."

He let out a slight chuckle. "Touché."

When they continued, people often turned to him and bowed in respect, muttering words of decency to him. Zi noticed this, and it seemed like Tsau commanded a lot of respect amongst the civilians of this part of town. He politely bowed back to them as they continued. Before they came close to the square where the Gilded Fountain rested, they were met up by one of Tsau's colleagues, dressed in similar attire, but only with different accessories and weapons.

"Back in town already?" the assassin said. "Here to see Hassan?"

Tsau shook his head and kept walking. "Not yet. I have a little bit of business to take care of first."

The assassin then looked at Zi. "…and who might this be?" he asked in curiosity.

"This is my frie—shipmate, Zi Kwon Lang," Tsau replied with a pause. Zi noticed this and took it quite negatively, becoming slightly angry at him. "Zi, this is Ramadi Rashad, one of the White Falcons."

Zi shook his hand and smiled politely. "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Ramadi uncovered his hood and let out a friendly chuckle. "No, I think the pleasure is all mine."

"For a Persian, your English is perfect," Zi complimented, waiting to see if Tsau took a bit of jealousy in it.

Tsau's friend was very handsome and gentle, enough for her to think that he might not even be an assassin. "Why thank you, and so is yours. I was a scholar who attended the University of Cambridge. Your English isn't so bad, yourself. Did you go to any great schools? I know my friend Tsau, here, has been to one."

"Actually, I was his frie—classmate," Zi replied in the same manner Tsau did. Under his dark hood, Tsau smiled to himself. "Did he not mention me?"

Ramadi chuckled. "No, I don't think he ever did. Shame on you, Tsau. She is a very bright individual, and you two were classmates! What are the chances of you two running into each other again?"

"Apparently, none," Tsau replied blankly as he paced along the roads. "I…didn't think I'd see her again. Anyway, don't you have some place to be right now?"

His friend laughed. "I think the legendary assassin isn't having a good day today. I guess I'll see you later, Zi. It was great meeting you."

Zi smiled. "Likewise. I hope to see you again."

As Ramadi left, putting his hood back on, she then turned to Tsau, who ignored her gaze.

"Charming individual," she said. "He was a real class act."

Tsau kept ignoring her stare. "You have no idea."

"So I guess you are the only assassin out of your whole group who is completely antisocial, then?" she then asked.

An overshadowed smile came across his face. "I am charming when I need to be."

"But you can at least be polite like Ramadi," she countered. "He's not so negative on his outlooks, unlike you."

"His assassinations haven't even hit the 50 mark, yet," Tsau muttered. "I, too, would still be enthusiastic about my job. Although, he is one of the veterans of the Order."

"Then why is his number so low?"

Tsau and Zi walked past groups and groups of people who still noticed Tsau and paid their respects to him. "He was always more interested in the public image of the Order, and didn't care much for the killing. Ramadi was always the one trying to send a message to our adversaries."

"So why are you 'legend,' then, instead of him?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I always took the harder assassinations, and the public soon noticed."

"Local popularity, then," Zi stated.

Tsau went up towards an alleyway that was blocked by a merchant who was selling goods. As soon as he arrived, the merchant's eyes lit up. "Ah, Mr. Tsau."

He gestured with his head, signaling for the store owner to uncover the cloth that blocked the alleyway, and walked through its dark corridor. The alleyway more or less functioned as the word itself, because it was secluded from everything else.

"Never really cared for it," Tsau replied to her statement.

"But you're a legend!" Zi emphasized. "From the looks of these people, your popularity seems to tower over Jack Sparrow's!"

Tsau walked up to a wooden door that went into one of the buildings. "Legends are usually bad news," he said, taking out a key for the door. "I can tell you right now, I'm no match for the legend. The Legend of Tsau the White Falcon far precedes the person himself. I'm just an ordinary man."

He opened the door and walked in, with her following him. They walked up a large flight of stairs that seemed to have led to a different floor in the building. Inside was very calm and spots of light seemed to come in, and Zi noticed that the place was very clean itself, but also noticed that the atmosphere was very lonely. Although it wasn't dusty and old, the darkness that made its home here overcrowded the room. There was a couch aligned next to the wall, and a desk that was set up next to it. The room was fairly small, but there was a door across from the couch that led to another room.

"This is where you live?" Zi asked.

Tsau replied only with a nod, walking over to the door across the couch and opening it. Zi followed him, as well, and noticed that the next room was a bedroom, having a few drawers and a comfortable-looking mattress. Tsau went over and opened the windows, and the light that shined in illuminated the room completely. The view outside was incredible as you could see many busy merchants and pedestrians below from a noticeably few stories up. The two rooms seemed to be the same size, but roomy at the least.

"Cozy," she complimented.

"Thanks," Tsau replied.

However, there was one more door that was at the corner, and Zi noticed that light broke in from the fine edges. Tsau went over and opened it, and light came into the room. As Zi followed him, he led her outside to a very beautiful, secluded garden at the top of this large building. Training equipment was present, as well as a small, private pool at the other end of the long courtyard. A punching bag hung from a wooden stand, and next to it was a Wing Chun wooden dummy, along with a rack of weapons at disposal, with a table that had many shuriken on top. A few more practice dummies stood across from it to the right, with slash marks and cuts. In between the two was covered with a soft mat for sparring. The pool, however, was very beautiful and clear, especially because it was surrounded by beautiful flora. The entire area was walled up with cement about room height, with small windows every few feet. Across from it, past the pool, stood a door that led into a tower that soared high above them, and provided shade in the middle of the day.

"Tsau," Zi started, completely mesmerized by the peaceful setting. "This place is absolutely beautiful."

"It's a good place to clear my thoughts," Tsau responded, walking forward.

"What is this place?" she then asked.

Tsau turned around to her. "I live above a cathedral. I often speak to the Padre here."

As soon as Tsau said that, the door opened from the other side, and a priest stepped out, noticing Tsau. The man was bald, like most priests were, and was much older than Tsau, probably around his sixties. He walked around the pool and greeted him.

"Tsau, my child," he started. "I thought I heard a noise while in the library. I didn't know you'd be back already."

"Padre," Tsau greeted. "I am back."

The padre smiled and nodded. "That is good, then. Have you brought rest to your spirit yet, my son?"

"I'm afraid not," Tsau replied. "The journey is longer than I thought it was going to be."

"I see," he replied. "And who is this young lady?"

Tsau turned around to Zi and introduced her. "This is Zi Kwon Lang, a friend from my childhood."

Zi noticed that he used the word 'friend' this time. He was much more polite around the holy man, and seemed to be good friends with him.

The padre walked up to her and greeted her. "It is nice to meet you, dear child."

"Zi, this is Father Demetrius," Tsau told her.

She returned a smile and bowed. "It is great to meet you, too."

After a moment, the padre went back towards the cathedral. "Tsau, if you need anything, or need to confess, you know where I'll be."

Tsau nodded as the padre left the vicinity and back down into the cathedral.

"So what are we going to do now?" Zi asked him.

"I know a place where we can get answers," Tsau replied. "You can settle your stuff here, and we'll go."

She was curious. "What place?"

"I can't speak of it," Tsau answered, walking back indoors. "But you'll understand why it exists when we get there."

His words only left Zi in more curiosity as she followed him inside.

So, yeah, not much happening here. We only get to see where Tsau lives and all that, and some later chapters will delve into his world and expound on why he has that attitude of his. But REMEMBER, ALL flashback sequences will be in chronological order from now on!!!