Chapter 10 - The Fury of the Cult
Cassie
I was in the middle of a private session with Fujin late one morning. Vic was out to breakfast with Kimi and Kurtis and I decided to let him catch up with his sister and potential brother-in-law. I was still a little shaken from that small little skirmish that happened at my dad's house a few days ago. Fujin moved like a blur and he's not exactly the youngest man. I would guess he's about four or five years younger than Vic's mom. During a break, I decided to ask him about his abilities.
"Fujin, how did you dispatch those cultists so quickly?" I asked. Fujin chuckled.
"About time one of you asked," he said. "Before settling in America, I left Fengjian with my brother for Japan to study a different martial art under a man named Kuai Liang, who goes by the codename Scorpion, for a few years. It was there I developed my fighting style and was gifted this by the protector of Earthrealm, Lord Liu Kang." Fujin pulled out an amulet looking thing with the design of a dragon on it and a white crystal inlaid in the middle.
"What is it?" I asked.
"It is an amulet forged by the Elder Gods. It grants the user complete control over wind and air. My brother Raiden possesses a similar one, although his gives him the power over thunder and lightning. Vic's mom did not need one as she was born with the unique ability to do it without one of these and, in turn, as was Vic. While I was there training, Scorpion's vengeful brother, a man named Bi-Han, attempted to assassinate him. He and another assassin named Sektor were part of the Lin Kuei, Scorpion and his second in command Smoke's former clan. I assisted Scorpion and Smoke in thwarting this attempt on Scorpion's life and in turn, we gravely injured Sektor. For my efforts, I was granted this amulet by Liu Kang." Fujin explained. My eyes widened in shock. I'm so glad Fujin's on our side. "I also learned a bit of Japanese from Scorpion's protege, a boy named Hanzo Hasashi. He seems to share Scorpion's fiery abilities," he added. Fujin then tossed his amulet to me and I caught it.
"Try it," he said and motioned for me to do so. The amulet sent a ripple through my body and suddenly, I felt that the wind was at my command. Deciding to channel my boyfriend, I made a circular motion with my hands and thrust both of them forward. A gust of wind erupted from my palms and made the pictures hanging on the wall rattle. Fujin smiled and held out his hand for the amulet which I tossed back to him.
"Not your style?" he asked with a smirk. I shook my head and motioned behind him. Fujin turned and got flicked on the head by one of my Shadow Cassies.
"Touche Miss Cage," he said.
"You can call me Cassie by the way," I said and squared off with him once more.
"Well then Cassie," Fujin said with a smile and raised his hands. "Strike me, if you can."
Vic arrived back at his uncle's place a few minutes after Fujin and I finished our small training session. I hugged him immediately, but I noticed that he didn't respond with as much enthusiasm as before. Hmm, odd. You know, I've noticed he'd been looking a little off ever since those cultists attacked us. I wonder if he's ok. I don't want him to hurt himself after all.
"How was breakfast?" Fujin asked. Vic shrugged.
"Fine I guess," he said tiredly. He looked in the direction of his bedroom.
"Go take a nap big guy," I said and kissed his cheek. Vic nodded and his eyes lingered on me for a moment. Aww, he wanted me to go with him! I couldn't though. I had to work the afternoon shift today.
"I gotta go to work shortly," I said. "I'll come back after ok? Before we go to Jacqui's game tonight." Vic's brow furrowed.
"Jacqui's game?" he asked and then remembered. "Oh yeah! That's right! Courtside right?" I nodded.
"I too shall be in attendance," Fujin stated. "I want to discuss with Mr. Briggs about what he has found out. Jacqui says he has some incredible information about this cult. Apparently, he and Kenshi are part of a new organization called the Outworld Investigation Agency."
"How…how did you know that? I don't even think Jacqui knows his job," I asked.
"You forget who my teachers were, Cassie," Fujin said with a grin. "Smoke was very good at the art of stealth and concealment. Not my proudest moment sneaking into government properties but I know my nephew had done the same." Fujin proceeded to throw up more of those rapid hand signs and flourished the movement by waving his hand with two fingers pointing upward in front of his face. The air around him distorted and he was almost completely invisible. When he moved, I could see him but that's only because I knew he was there.
"Whoa!" I said. Vic however was unphased. He still looked incredibly tired.
"He did that to hide me at the funeral," he said and yawned. Fujin reappeared and nodded. Vic gave me one more hug before he trundled his way upstairs. After a few seconds I heard his bed creek and him say "ahhh!" Sleep well Vic. I'll see you later.
Later. After work.
I let myself into Fujin's place to find that he was currently eating a sandwich in front of the TV. He looked over at my arrival and smiled.
"Ahh, good," he said. "How was work?"
"Alright I guess," I answered. "Where's Vic?" Fujin pointed to the kitchen table…where I saw my 29 year old boyfriend fucking coloring. Are you serious? What an absolute moron…but I still loved him. As long as he wasn't out hurting himself. I walked over to him. He looked up.
"What…I don't tell you how to live your life!" he said and snapped the book shut. The book was entitled "Cheeses of the World."
"Cheeses of the World?" I asked and raised an eyebrow. "Where did you even find that?"
"Internet," he said and stowed it along with the coloring pencils on the nearby shelf.
"I shouldn't have asked," I said and hugged him. "Did you miss me?"
"With every bullet so far," he said instinctively. I smiled. He said that all the time back in the day. Then I noticed his T-shirt and nearly busted out laughing. It simply said "Dino Nuggies" in a font that resembled an 80s metal band with a fire breathing dino shaped nugget under the words.
"Please tell me you aren't wearing that tonight," I said, still trying to stifle a laugh. Vic shook his head.
"Gonna shower beforehand," he said. "I got a Knights jersey somewhere. Plus, you should see my uncle's shirt." Vic motioned to Fujin who had stood up having finished his sandwich. His shirt read "I Have a Tummy Ache but I'm Being Really Brave About it." This time I couldn't help it. I laughed. Fujin grinned.
"It appears I do owe you 5 bucks and a McChicken," he said to Vic. "Honestly, I did not think she would laugh at this bit of tomfoolery. I too must shower." Fujin walked away towards his bedroom and closed the door. I gave Vic a seductive look. I knew this would work on him. After all, I need to shower too.
"Can…can I get another scalp massage then," he asked me softly. I responded by grabbing his hands and leading him upstairs to the bathroom.
At the Knights game.
Vic, Fujin and I were seated right behind the Knights bench at Jacqui's game. Vic had changed his shirt for an old school Knights jersey as well as Fujin. I myself was wearing Vic's old Knights t-shirt from high school that didn't fit him anymore. I liked it. It still smelled a bit like him. Vic was a little on edge being in public without his mask or glasses on. I placed my hand over his.
"It's ok Vic," I said. "Most people don't know who you are."
"Right…right…" he responded. At that moment, his sister and Kurtis arrived, also dressed in Knights attire. Kimi sat down on the other side of Vic and gave him a one armed hug.
"Hey buddy," she said. In her voice I could still hear that sheer disbelief and amazement that her brother had been alive for all this time. Kurtis meanwhile was eating a hot dog in one hand and had a beer in the other.
"How many have you had already Mr. Stryker," Fujin asked. Kurtis swallowed his bite.
"Two," he said. "Dogs I mean. Only one beer. Thank God I'm off duty tonight. I needed this."
"I wish you'd thought to get me one," Kimi mumbled.
"Two things babe. One, you are the biggest lightweight I have ever seen in my life and two, they only had one kind and it's the kind you don't like," Kurtis answered.
"She meant a drink in general chief," Vic said and folded his arms. Kimi gave a look of appreciation to Vic and Kurtis gulped.
"Lemonade?" he asked Kimi.
"Pink if they got it," she responded and kissed his cheek. "Thanks hon." Kurtis placed his beer in the cupholder and got up to get his girlfriend a drink. Vic meanwhile was trying to hand me something. It was a large cup with a red straw poking out the top. No way…no way. If he remembered I would start sobbing. I took the cup from him and took a sip. Yes. A frozen blue raspberry soda! Vic smirked after I took a sip and then pointed to his head as if saying "yes, I remember."
"She drank like three of those one night," he explained to Fujin and Kimi. "She crashed so hard, I had to carry her to her bedroom and then Johnny caught me walking out of it and almost kicked my ass." I pouted. I do remember that. Daddy woke me up with his yelling. That happened in like late seventh grade so Vic and I weren't an item yet. Still, I understand how that looked for my dad. Fujin and Kimi chuckled. Kurtis arrived a few minutes before game time with a large pink lemonade and handed it to Kimi. She took it and the basket of chicken tenders from him. The five of us chatted for a bit and then it was game time.
Jacqui as usual was the starting point guard and her stats displayed on the scoreboard showed that she averaged around twenty points a game alongside fifteen assists.
"Holy shit…he is alive," a voice behind us said. Vic and I were the only ones who recognized it I believe. It was Jacqui's father, Jax Briggs. He was standing behind Kurtis staring at Vic. He looked pretty much the same as I remembered. The same mustache, crew cut plus a shirt that looked like it was about to rip open due to the chiseled muscles. I'll be honest, I had a small little crush on him when I was younger but not as big as Vic and well…you can find out how that went.
"Hey Mr. Briggs," Vic said and gave him a small little wave. "That's my sister, her boyfriend and my uncle Fujin. He can explain where I've been better than me." Jax instead walked over to sit next to Fujin where they began to speak about where Vic had been for the last few years.
"So you took him back eh Cass," Jax eventually said to me. Caught off guard, I choked a little on my drink. Vic lightly tapped me on the back which stopped the coughing. Jax smiled at Vic.
"Still got it don't you," he said with a smile. Vic returned it. I returned to watching the game with Vic until I heard something that nearly made me as mad as it made Vic.
"Jarek? As in Zayne Jarek?" Jax asked Fujin. Vic's head whipped in that direction so fast I expected it to snap. His eyes narrowed in anger.
"What. Do. You. Know," Vic growled. Jax raised his eyebrows.
"He was in my unit in the military. Before I joined forces with Takahashi. Complete psychopath when not in public. I remember when we were stationed in Fengjian and he became obsessed with a local farm girl," Jax explained. It was Fujin's turn to get angry. Jax noticed.
"Uh…did I say something," he asked.
"That farm girl was my sister, Vic's mother," Fujin said, trying very hard to curb his anger. Vic wasn't as successful and needed both me and Kimi to restrain him from wringing Jax's neck. Fujin quickly explained the whole story behind what happened to Vic's parents and Jarek while I forced Vic to watch a bit of the game. We saw Jacqui get a few steals and even a slam dunk or two.
"He knew him," Vic growled softly after the first quarter ended with the Knights up by five points. "He knew him and never told me."
"Bud," Kimi began. "Jax had no clue what would happen afterwards."
"Did you see their bodies Kimi?!" Vic snarled. Kimi nodded and then glanced at me for a fraction of a second. Most unfortunately, Vic saw. And he was pretty good at deducing things.
"You thought…Cassie killed our parents?!" he snarled again. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"I should ask you the same question," Kurtis said.
"Fuck off," he said. "Don't talk to me right now." The rest of us exchanged glances as Jax and Fujin talked more about Jarek's time in the military. I was only half listening. Something was wrong with Vic. He was becoming more violent. More determined than ever to track this cult that almost ruined his life. I could see it in his eyes. I'll bet he wasn't tired because of the early breakfast he had with Kimi and Kurtis. This bastard had been out all night looking for any traces of the cult. I'm sure of it. I was about to confront Vic about this…when hell arrived.
It began with robed figures storming their way past security and onto the court. There were a lot of them. Two of them were in front. One of them looked male and had long blonde hair coming out from under his hood and down across his chest. The other was female, dressed in a purple halter top and pants with black boots. I heard Fujin mutter, "No…it can't be…" as he got to his feet alongside Vic. Before I could stop him, most of the cult pulled out weapons and started firing them into the crowd. The male leader was laughing as he grabbed one of the fleeing guards and punched his heart out of his chest and crushed it. Holy fuck. That was all we needed. The six of us sprang into action, leaping over the Knights bench and onto the court. Vic and I went for the cultists while the others engaged the leaders. One of the cultists tried to blow my head off but I countered by tossing a shadow ball into his face and…caused it to explode. I froze. I just killed somebody. I had committed murder. Fuck…FUCK…This was all so new to me. My first skirmish after becoming Fujin's pupil and I murdered someone. In my hesitation, another cultist had tried to attack me but Vic stopped that with one of his neon daggers and caused it to explode, showering the area in viscera and blood.
"Vic…what the fuc-" I began. He cut me off.
"They aren't fully human," he said and countered another attack. "They look it but trust me they aren't." I was now face to face with another cultist. Now that I got a good look at them, their face under the hood was…off. It looked human but it had a slight grayish red tinge to it. Somehow, it didn't make me feel so bad when I summoned a Shadow Cassie and commanded it to kick their head off. I'll deal with these emotions later, I needed to help Vic. He and I worked almost flawlessly as a team. He used the winds to assist my acrobatic flip over a sweeping kick and I used the extra air time to hurl a barrage of shadow balls at my attacker. In turn, I summoned a Shadow Cassie to help Vic fight two cultists at once. Shadow Cassie even caught the "sword" Vic tossed in its direction and stabbed a cultist with a flourish. With the last cultist down, Vic and I turned to see where the others had gotten to.
Fujin was in a fierce duel with the blonde guy while Jax, Kimi and Kurtis were in the process of incapacitating the woman. The blonde guy's hood had fallen off and the guy's face was…almost snake-like honestly. There was no other word for it. He had almost no nose with slits for nostrils. His eyes were the most unsettling part. They were almost completely black save for the golden irises. The guy bared his teeth at one point and, yep, fangs. I noticed a cobra head tattoo on his neck too. Wait…hold on.
"How Kobra," Fujin growled as he locked blades with…Kobra. Kobra let out a maniacal laugh.
"You thought you could kill us?" he said…in a surprisingly deep voice. Honestly, I assumed he was going to elongate the "s" sound.
"That was the intent the first time, yes," Fujin answered. "What I want to know is how you are still drawing breath."
"I can answer that little man," another deeper and more sinister voice answered. Suddenly, I felt myself get pushed back by an invisible force, right into Vic and Kimi. All three of us turned to face the sound of the voice. A man was walking to the middle of the court with his arms folded across his chest. I could see his bare muscular chest under a dark orange sleeveless vest that looked burned and tattered. He had on pants that matched those of the dead cultists scattered around the arena. Colored black but he had orange and green accents along the sides. On his forearms were a pair of metal arm guards colored a dark orange and they matched the shin guards he had on as well. His face was probably the scariest part of him. Most of it was covered by a metal helmet and he sported a pointed chin goatee. One glance at Fujin told me all I needed to know about this man's identity. But it couldn't be. He was supposed to be dead!
"Jarek," both Fujin and Jax growled.
Jarek held out his arms in welcome and Kobra bowed to him.
"Well look at this! A small little reunion just for me! I see my old piece of shit CO over there! Oh and of course…Miss me windy?" Jarek said to Fujin. Fujin was once against wearing that look of absolute venom. I gulped.
"How are both you and Kobra alive," Fujin growled. Jarek shrugged.
"Some bald headed guy wanted to use me and my cult for his own purposes after reviving both me and Kobra. I proposed a better idea. Punched him in the face, took back control of my cult and now…yes, that must be Lauren's boy. How's your dad kiddo?" Jarek taunted. I did not know Victor Harris could get madder than he was at this moment.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Vic bellowed and broke free of Fujin's hold on him. Kimi and I attempted to grab him but he was too fast. Vic charged at Jarek full speed…but Jarek simply grabbed Vic by the neck and lifted him off the ground.
"Well well well," Jarek said. "Look Kobra, look how pathetic Lauren's little boy is. Your dad was a weak pathetic man kid. His neck snapped like a twig." Kobra laughed and I made a Shadow Cassie appear behind him and kicked him in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. Fujin gave me a small nod of appreciation. Jarek instead turned his attention to me.
"Who's the short haired blonde one little boy?" he asked menacingly. "Your girlfriend?"
"Stay…away…her," Vic gasped through Jarek's grip. I saw Jarek's knuckles whiten. No…NO! He was choking him! Fujin moved at lightning speed. Soon enough Vic was free and Jarek had a long slash along his arm.
"Victor. Run. Take Cassie and run," Fujin ordered and threw up those rapid hand signs again.
"But…" Vic protested angrily.
"VICTOR. THIS IS NOT A DEBATE. GO!" Fujin ordered again and thrust his hands forward. Jarek and Kobra were blasted backwards at a high speed before they could react. Jarek managed to catch himself on the doorway and was fighting against Fujin's wind blast. His helmet had gotten blown off and I saw a glimpse of his face. It was badly burned on one side. Like almost to the bone.
"Cassie, help me!" Kimi shouted over the wind. Vic was trying to run at the man who killed his family.
"HE KILLED OUR FATHER KIMI," Vic shouted. "LET ME AT HIM!" Jacqui arrived back on the scene for some reason. I saw her leading her teammates and fans out of the area back when this whole skirmish began. She must have wanted to come back to help her dad. Jacqui grabbed Vic's other arm and began to pull him away from the arena while he was still shouting "NO! NOOOOO!" in a voice I didn't recognize. Then when I didn't think it could get worse…it did.
That other Black Dragon cultist that Jax, Kimi and Kurtis knocked out had stirred and got to her feet. She saw us and noticed that Jax and Kurtis were busy following Fujin's orders to notice she had drawn twin swords, ran at me and rammed her shoulder into me which made me stumble backwards. The woman then pulled something out of her belt and tossed it on the ground.
"KIMI!" I shouted but it was too late. The woman disappeared in a cloud of smoke and then reappeared right behind Jacqui. She saw her just in time to shove Vic and Kimi out of the way but…I was too far away and the woman reacted too fast. She swung both of her blades down at Jacqui's outstretched arms which she had just used to save Vic and Kimi…and both of her arms were sliced off at the forearm. Jacqui screamed as fountains of blood erupted from her arms. It was enough for Jax to look over and when he saw what this woman did to his little girl, he lost it. Jax rugby tackled the woman before she could disappear again and Jax knocked her out cold in one punch. Jacqui was still screaming in pain by the time I got over. She was drenched in her own blood.
"I know Jacqui…I know," I said through tears. Fuck…FUCK! What am I supposed to do?! Jax arrived quickly afterward and slightly shoved me out of the way.
"Jac, daddy's here," he said softly. I could tell he was on the verge of crying too. First his wife dies and now his daughter is lying here mutilated.
"Dad…daddy…it hurts…it hurts," she whimpered. She was losing a lot of blood. If we didn't stop this now…she would die. Vic suddenly appeared, still glaring in the direction of Jarek…but Jarek and Kobra were nowhere to be found. Fujin was steadying himself on his sword being assisted by Kurtis. Vic knelt down and examined Jacqui's arms and grimaced in anger. Then he held his hand out and sort of waved it over her…stumps. The bleeding stopped but the wounds still looked incredibly nasty.
"What…what did you do kid?" Jax asked Vic. Vic shrugged.
"Stopped the bleeding," he answered. "Still needs medical attention. Bad." Jacqui had stopped screaming but was still whimpering in pain.
"Daddy…" she whispered. Jax lifted Jacqui's head off the ground.
"Stay with dad Jacqui, help is coming," he said in a shaky voice. But Jacqui…Jacqui closed her eyes and moved no more.
Vic was comforting me as I cried over what just happened to my best friend. She had lost not one but both of her arms tonight. She would most likely never compete in sports again. As I cried, I heard rapid footsteps and looked up to see multiple police officers and paramedics arrive on the scene. One of them had long black hair tied into a ponytail and hailed Kurtis when he arrived.
"Holy fuck man," the officer said. "You do this?"
"Mainly Kimi's uncle and brother," Kurtis answered. The officer frowned.
"Isn't…isn't her brother dead?" he asked. Vic cleared his throat.
"Hey Kabal," he said in a less angry sounding voice but still. It wasn't his old cheerful demeanor. The officer named Kabal recoiled.
"Whoa! What the fuck?!" he said. Kimi put a hand on his shoulder.
"Long story," she said. "We'll explain outside. Help with this one. C'mon." She, Kurtis and Kabal proceeded to leave the arena with the unconscious female cultist that severed Jacqui's arms in handcuffs. Fujin walked over to both me and Vic. He grabbed Vic's shoulder in what looked like a very fierce grip.
"I. Am not losing you. To him," he said. "Do you understand me?"
"Uncle…"
"DO YOU. Understand me?!" Fujin repeated more fiercely. "That goes for you too Cassie." Yep. You didn't have to tell me twice. Vic however didn't look convinced but didn't show it.
"What happened to…well you know," I asked quickly and decided not to use the name Jarek. Fujin clenched his fist in anger.
"Jarek is a coward. Always attacking with lackeys or others to aid him. Loves to show off to his minions and, as they are loyal to him, they eat it up," Fujin explained. "Once he saw that we outnumbered him, he fled. Like the fucking bitch he is." I raised my eyebrows when I heard Fujin swear…I believe it was the first time…in English I mean. Jacqui meanwhile was being attended to by a paramedic. He looked like he was of Thai descent if I were to guess with long dark hair that flowed down to his shoulders. The paramedic was in the middle of examining Jacqui's vitals.
"Is…is Jacqui alive," Jax asked. The paramedic nodded.
"She's alive," he said. "Suffering from blood loss however. We need to get her to the hospital right away." At that moment, Jacqui's eyes opened and she found the smiling face of the paramedic.
"What's up," he said with a smile. "Don't worry, you're gonna be alright." Jacqui tried to raise her head but the paramedic eased her back on the ground.
"H…Heaven?" she asked. The paramedic chuckled. That's when I saw it in my best friend's eyes. She had fallen for this guy immediately. Not a bad catch Jac. He was rather handsome.
"Not quite," the paramedic said. "Your dad says your name is Jacqui. My name's Takeda. Don't worry, I'll get you to safety."
Later. Outside the Arena.
Vic and I helped Takeda get Jacqui onto a stretcher outside. He had wrapped her stumps in bandages and inserted an IV drip into her arm. The whole time, I could see Jacqui smiling slightly whenever Takeda came back into her view. Vic however, was more angry than I have ever seen him. Not at me, but at the cult who had just injured his friend. The game we had been watching had been suspended and if you ask me…I think Jacqui's basketball career is over. Jax was nearby conversing with a Japanese man in a suit with a red blindfold over his eyes and a sword strapped to his back. I think I know who this guy is. I have a vague memory of him at one of my birthday parties when I was really little. Takeda noticed and raised his hand.
"Hey dad," he said. Vic, Jacqui and I exchanged looks. The man turned his head and smiled. Hold on…could…could he actually see? I thought he was blind. Judging by the way he walked over to us, yes, he could actually see. You know, honestly, after what happened tonight, I've seen more weird things than this. I could create green clones of myself for Christ's sake! But seriously, I know I've seen this guy before. Why is it eluding me?!
"Hello son," the man said.
"Oh wait," Takeda began. "Manners, this is my father. Kenshi Takahashi." Right! Kenshi! Dad's old friend!
"Hello Cassie," Kenshi said to me. "Haven't seen you in many years. Last time I did, you had no front teeth and two pigtails." Vic finally managed to show part of his old self and gave an exaggerated "oh really" type of face to me.
"You gonna come with us Mr. Briggs," Takeda asked. "Just got the all clear from the driver. ER is prepped for us." Jax nodded. Jacqui looked quite happy to have Takeda accompany her. Takeda and Jax climbed into the back of the ambulance.
"I'll call you with updates Cass," Jax told me and shut the door. The ambulance drove off but Kenshi stayed with us.
"Your friend seemed to be eyeing my son with great interest," he said. "Strange. He typically likes blondes. But if I were to guess, the metal head is your plus one isn't he?" I nodded.
"You must be Fujin's nephew. Vince? No…Vlad?" Kenshi asked.
"Vic," Vic said and held out his hand which Kenshi shook.
"Pleasure to meet you Vic," Kenshi said and then smirked. "Or should I say Thrash?"
"So much for a secret identity," Vic muttered. Fujin came up to us and acknowledged Kenshi with a nod.
"Police have that other cultist, who's name is Tasia, in custody," Fujin explained. "How was Jacqui?" I grimaced.
"As I feared," Fujin stated gravely. "They will attack anyone who gets in their way. I may require your OIA services Mr. Takahashi. Jarek mentioned something about a sorcerer." Kenshi raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?" Kenshi asked. "I may have an idea then. We'll talk. That is, after you tell Suchin where you're going this evening. She's been a little worried that her silver haired boyfriend has been silent all night." For the first time since I've known him, Fujin turned red. Vic however looked positively radiant with glee.
"NO WAY!" Vic shouted. "Is this Suchin person the one you've been seeing for the past few weeks?!"
"How…how do you know about Suchin?" Fujin asked not as confidently as usual.
"Who do you think Takeda's mom is?" Kenshi asked with a smirk. "She mentioned she had an adult son didn't she?" Fujin turned even more red. Vic quickly grasped my shoulder to steady himself.
"Oh…MY God!" he said excitedly. I smiled at him. I loved seeing him happy. Most of the time that was whenever he was with me or playing video games or playing music…with his mom…I still grabbed his arm and squeezed. Fujin opened his mouth but Kenshi held up his hand.
"It was almost 30 years ago when she was still part of a PMC before transitioning to the medical field. We had a fling, Takeda was born, we raised him as co-parents after realizing a relationship between us would not have worked. No ill will towards you Fujin," Kenshi said. Fujin gulped and turned to his nephew, who was still beyond happy at the moment.
"Oh payback is a bitch uncle," Vic said and his other arm around Fujin. "Just you wait!"
After everything that just happened tonight, I'm at least happy that Vic's anger was slowly dissipating. Hopefully it stayed that way and that we would take down Jarek together.