Emotions were still running rampant in the Shinobi room as I tried my best to cope with it all in a way that was subtle. Hibari was crying, the adults were pensive and everyone else was experiencing something that shouldn't really be happening in an area with cute highschoolers.
I'm stuck in the middle of it all, my observations noting down certain ticks on the girls during my story, like the tightening of the features in the faces of Hanzo and Kiriya, or the sorrow found in the expressions on their faces and Yagyu, as if they've had a bond similar and understand.
"Caleb-chan~!" Hibari cried as she leapt at me and I had to stop myself from reacting, not only at the leap itself but also at her prodigious chest pressing up against my own. "Why? Why was it so sad? Couldn't they have gotten out together?"
I tilt my head, and look at her. "Is it?"
The others turn to me as if I was insane. Admittedly, I can understand that. Reading the story from Reshar's journal the first time left me devastated as well, especially since I wanted to experience that feeling, the feeling of having someone to rely on, maybe as a parent or as a friend. But as I continued re-reading it and thinking about it, I thought the story was beautiful.
"It's a story." I start, explaining as I look into Hibari's abnormal pupils that didn't detract from her beauty. "It's what happened, a slave chained, finding hope and companionship in dreary times and a tragedy that would lead to a great story of courage, freedom, and love."
"Wait," Katsuragi interrupts, confused, "so were Thungrim and the goliath…" She left the question open as I shook my head.
"They loved each other like brothers. And possibly, they would come back as brothers." I stated, getting the attention of the others. "The beauty of the story isn't that it happened, but that Kanithiak did what he did. It isn't the story of an honorable hero chosen by gods or by someone trained to fight evil. It was just someone outraged by the injustice happening to not only him but to someone he loved. So he fought and became more. And hey, who knows." Giving a grin that's a bit more genuine than I wanted it to be, I continued, "He probably impressed the dwarven gods enough to be allowed to reincarnate as his master's friend or family."
This caused the others to pause, Asuka stared at me with a bit of wonder while Ikaruga gave me a probing look, Yagyu seemed to relax a bit while Katsuragi just stared at the ceiling. Hanzo gave an easygoing smile while Kiriya was focused once more, his seated position straightened up as his training as a shinobi seemed to war with his own feelings.
Hibari seemed to take that well, her smile a mirror of mine. No, more like my smile is a twisted mirror of hers. In the end, the mood returned to normal as I made a show of checking my phone for the time. Would you look at that time for a tactical retreat.
"Thanks for having me, but I've gotta get going. Homework isn't going to do itself." And criminals don't just rob, I mean have their ill-gotten gains repurposed, themselves.
Nodding, the old teacher stands up. "I can show you out."
Before he can continue, Hibari's eyes focus as she attempts to raise her hand to say something-
"I'll do it, Kiriya-sensei."
Only to be beaten by Asuka as she jumps up and grabs Caleb by the arm and pulls him outside. Leaving everyone else either confused or down.
Hibari, meanwhile, stands there, mid-action with a glassy smile and blank eyes as Yagyu gives her a weird look. "Hibari…"
"Yes?" Was her curt response, her eyes closed and the image of a masked woman appeared behind her to the shock of everyone in the room except for Hanzo, who simultaneously looked at the young man with equal parts understanding, worry, and a bit of jealousy.
How dare he seduce my granddaughter and leave everyone in this room to deal with the consequences of his thoughtless actions.
If he doesn't make her happy I'll turn him into a woman!
And so his thoughts continued until it spiraled into perverted territory, steam coming out of his ears as he blushed at the imagery running through his mind.
Everyone else in the room ignored him, except for Kiriya who wished he could do the same.
Blend into the background as efficiently as Hanzo. Not create an entire porn movie in his mind in the span of a few seconds that, if seen, would leave people confused as to whether the movie was an actual porn movie and not the consequence of an old perverted man.
Maybe then he could leave the teenage drama to someone else.
The two walked in silence, one of them wondered why they were going the long way outside but took the chance to take note of anything of interest while the other had plans that she found herself hesitating on.
C'mon, you've got this. All you have to say is a few words, nothing too hard.
Asuka glanced at him, his profile showing off his sharp jaw and short brown hair messily brushed back, giving him a roguish feel in contrast to how soft it looks and the braided strand of silver hair that reached below his chin only seemed to add to it. The bags under his eyes added to the picture instead of taking away from it and left her feeling like he'd look better without the bags under his eyes. Her eyes began to roam what she could see from his baggy clothing and she liked it. Broad shouldered with tough arms and a quiet gait, she couldn't help but wonder how he'd look like pinning her dow-.
No! Bad! Stop ogling the attractive guy! You're not Katsuragi! You're the granddaughter of the legendary shinobi, Hanzo!
…
Suddenly, her eyes seem to lose their luster as she leans her head against the wall at her thoughts, a gray cloud hung over her while Caleb stared at her in confusion.
I'm my grandfather's granddaughter and mother's daughter.
Was her lineage cursed to be horny? Her mother hid it well but with how vague some of her memories are and how most of those vague memories start with her checking in on her mother and father when she heard them 'fight' is telling enough.
It would have been fine if it stayed like that but no, she had to walk in on them when she was older and able to understand more. She had to remember the fact that all those vague memories she has are her seeing her mother and father doing the deed.
She stares at the sky despondent as she mutters. "Curse you ancestors."
Caleb was just wondering what got into Auka all of a sudden. 'Hey Asuka, you okay?"
That seems to knock her out of her weird rut as she twirled around and gave Caleb a confident smile. "It's nothing. C'mon, we're nearly at the back entrance."
"Back entrance?" Caleb parroted, understanding why but needing to make sure.
"Yup." Asuka answers, popping the 'p'. "Being a shinobi is all about secrecy so no one is supposed to know."
"Can't you just sneak in here?" Caleb asks, generally curious.
"We can." She answers confidently. "But being a shinobi is about balancing one's skills and life. If you show off too many shinobi skills in your normal life it jeopardizes the secrecy of shinobi whereas if you let too much of your normal life bleed out onto your shinobi missions-."
"Then you become a jeopardy to your loved ones and possibly expose yourself and others." Caleb finished as Asuka gave a bright smile towards him, leaving him feeling things he doesn't feel comfortable feeling at the moment.
"So, it's basically a balance between duty to your family and state?" He asks, before Asuka simply winks at him and leans forward, her breast bouncing slightly.
"If you'll join us you'll get to learn more." Asuka says in a joking manner as Caleb rolls his eyes.
"Sorry, not interested." he answered as a comfortable silence sprouted from between them.
It continued until they got to the back entrance of the abandoned schoolhouse of Hanzo Academy.
"Well, see ya, Asuka." Caleb said with a wave of his hand, causing Auka to panic.
"Wait!" She yelled before reeling as her embarrassment hit her full speed, her cheeks flushing as she fidgeted in place. "W-well-um…"
Caleb raised a brow that only served to fluster her further as she tried to get the words out of her mouth.
Finally, Caleb spoke up, "Umm, is something-."
"Aquarium!" She managed, her voice going an octave too high as she clasped her hands around her mouth, her face beet red as she tried to salvage the situation by coughing.
"The Aquarium is going to have a couple's discount tomorrow and-and I have a…" she trailed off before brightening up, "book report."
Neither side said anything as Caleb kept quiet, his amusement obvious in his eyes even if his body language gave nothing away. He wanted to see where this goes.
Amidst the silence, Asuka continued. "Due."
Silence…
"Tomorrow." She added awkwardly.
"Wouldn't it be too late if it was due tomorrow?" He added, flustering up Asuka as she tried to come up with an explanation.
"U-umm. It's due the day after tomorrow?" She said even if it was framed like a question.
"On Saturday?" Caleb was having way too much fun.
At this point, Asuka was calm enough to see the amusement in Caleb's eyes. "Mouu~. Caleb!"
Caleb brought his head back, his shoulders shaking as he chuckled, his back resting against the frame of the door. "Pffhahahaha. Should have seen the look on your face."
Asuka was pouting intensely, arms crossed under her bust and looking away as Caleb only continued to laugh, the occasional snort mixing itself in. Finally, he managed out, "I don't mind."
She froze up, turning in surprise. "Really?"
"Yeah." He said, his smile turning a bit roguish as he continued, "A second date," he interrupted himself with a cough as Asuka's face turned beet red and he continued, "I mean, hanging out with a girl as beautiful as you while helping her with her 'book report' on the book that's 'totally' only available in the gift shop is definitely worth doing. Do you have my number?"
"A-ah, n-no, I can just ask Hibari though." She quickly answered, her embarrassment obvious as she waved at him and darted off after saying. "Okay, see youlaterbye!"
She ran away while Caleb stared at the spot she stood at. A second later, his smile dropped as he looked over his mental notes of the building and of what happened, ignoring the anxiety and anticipation he felt within.
All for his death.
If it meant he had to manipulate an entire shinobi team to gain the tools he needed to kill the man who made him into who he is, then so be it.
Meanwhile Asuka rested her hands against her cheeks, trying to cool them down as she swung from side-to-side, particularly happy as she walked back to the Shinobi Room.
So high in cloud nine, she barely noticed the tense atmosphere in the room since it was well-hidden under the interactions between the girls as they worked on the written section of their homework. Or the fact that Hibari was giving her a very intense stare.
It didn't help when she asked, "Hey Hibari, do you have Caleb's phone number?"
The brush she was using to write snapped as Hibari stared at it before shaking her head. "Yes, why?"
The memory gives her a good mood as she smiles, "Nothing, just to make sure I can contact him in case I need to."
Hibari nodded and told her his number, all the while ignoring the ugly feeling that reared its head.
I'm going to hell.
Ever since I was able to think clearly after my escape from that man, I've accepted this. I've lied, cheated, killed, and will continue to do so until I'm either six feet under or until that man is dead. But there's just something about this whole situation that just screams 'God won't judge me because my mom is beating my ass to hell herself'.
Good and bad are subjective in my quest to kill the man that ruined my life, but fucking over good people always left me with a bad taste in my mouth. But when I usually did so, it was quick, pick-pocketing, fighting, whatever. Quick and usually without any need for killing. But conning a group of young girls in a killing profession just feels wrong. Especially when they're just good girls. Using their feelings to my benefit? Faking my own emotions to absurd degrees? Picking apart their words for things that can be used later?
Every skill I've learnt was under the assumption that my conflict with good people would be minimal. So to suddenly throw me into this den of good intentions and tell me to manipulate it to my will just left a horrible taste in my mouth.
Usually, these thoughts were left for late at night. Like last night, but as he stared at the text a few minutes before his alarm went off, it really hit him.
Hey! It's Asuka, I'm excited for our date! Would it be okay to meet up at five at the mall, maybe get something to eat beforehand?
I reread the contents of the text over and over until it was basically ingrained into my mind. And when that started to lose its luster, I began translating it into the myriad of languages that are under my belt.
At some point, the letters began to blend together, constantly coming out to one thing.
Manipulative scum.
I blinked and the words went away, leaving me with an innocent message from an equally innocent and sexy brunette inviting me out to eat before an innocent date believing it all to be real as I led her around like some con artist.
It couldn't be real.
It had to be a lie.
Even if my skills say it isn't.
Even if my instincts say it isn't.
Even if her very soul were to proclaim that what she feels isn't a lie.
It had to be.
Or else she'd be a weakness for him to exploit.
A variable that'd throw me off.
A variable that would give me worth.
I had to be worthless.
Or else I'd want to continue on after killing him.
Asuka's morning was far more chaotic than normal.
"This one?"
"No, too old."
"Shishishi, this one!"
"Katsuragi, that's a pair of jeans that seem a bit too small for Asuka."
"Exactly! When he sees this he'll have no other choice but to-argh!"
Ikaruga sighs while resting the binder she used to smack Katsuragi upside the head on Asuka's desk. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine…" Asuka trailed off, wondering what made Ikaruga so excited.
As fellow heiresses both have had a sheltered upbringing, but it's not something they bond over as Asuka can tell a sore subject even if she isn't the most subtle. And when they did try talking about it, it ended up being a discussion both sides had trouble following. In the end, they left it as is and simply got along in different ways.
That said, they were still teenage girls, shinobi they might be, and gossip is something they can't help but be embroiled into. Also helping each other prepare for dates.
Even Hibari and Yagyu were there.
"Girls, the date isn't until the afternoon." She tries, hoping that this time the outcome would be different.
It wasn't.
"Quiet." Katsuragi ordered as Ikaruga stood beside her in an uncommon show of camaraderie. "A girl's first date is important, she must be beautiful, enticing, but also cautious, who knows what could be going on in the minds of those boys." She said, her voice trailing off into a more perverted version as she emulated a hormonal teenager perfectly, drool coming down her mouth, eyes glued to Asuka's chest, and hands making a grabbing motion.
The moment of camaraderie ended as Ikaruga used a ruler on Katsuragi's bare thigh, causing Katsuragi to yelp in pain and hop around. She misjudged a hop and didn't see Ikaruga's leg sweep out from under her and knock her off balance as she landed as a heap on the floor.
Tapping the ruler against her hand, Ikaruga sighs, "Honestly…"
At this point, Ikaruga turns to Asuka with a regretful look. "Even if it could have been said better, Katsuragi does have a point. This is a special moment in a girl's life and she has to put in the effort."
"Well…" Asuka trails off, glancing at a set of clothes on a clothing hanger. "I already picked out something for today…"
Looking at it, Ikaruga removes the hanger and stares at the clothing with a hum. It was a blue dress with a modest skirt and a blouse along with a collar similar to a sailor uniform.
She turned, placing the hanger in front of her and overlapping it with Asuka's figure as the other three extras crowded along and hummed to themselves. It was homey and simple, matching up with Asuka's personality perfectly and it emphasized her assets in an aesthetically pleasing way while also showing off a bit more.
Even Yagyu, lacking in femininity, could tell that it was perfect.
So, either Asuka stayed up a long time thinking over what to wear or she got lucky.
Asuka stifles a yawn and that answers that.
With everything nearly set up, the other three, and Hibari who is still reluctant, helped her prepare for what is to happen.
As it turns out, supposedly, it's supposed to be the guy's job to plan out the date but they felt like Caleb would forget. Besides, Asuka was raised in the area, she knows it better than most.
And so, Caleb continued on his day, occasionally stopping by one of the girls and having a little chat.
Occasionally, he'd turn, constantly feeling eyes on him as he looked around but never found anything. He'd be stupid to believe that it was nothing.
"Mmmh~." A seductive and sweet voice spoke, staring at the young man with interest. "So that's our little…complication Homura?"
As she stared at him through one of the dolls in the school, she pondered to herself.
How long would it take for you to become one of my dolls?
He approached a pink-haired girl, reminding her of a small rabbit. The poor thing's emotions are all over the place.
The young woman's smile dimmed and her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Let's see~.
She continued to look, categorizing each movement, tonal shift, and anything that stands out as she came to a conclusion.
Poor girl, she has feelings for the idiot. An idiot who's going out on a date in the afternoon with Hanzo's granddaughter.
"I really hope I'm right about this." She hums, her smile hiding the malice in her eyes.
I wonder if Suzune-sensei will let me keep him as a lab rat.
The last one broke so easily.
So, the day marched on.
I may be manipulative scum but no one can ever accuse me of being ungentlemanly. Now, ignoring the fact that one of those is marginally worse than the other, I walk towards the mall ten minutes before we were supposed to meet up. I changed into a simple set of jeans with a long-sleeved shirt under a t-shirt and my Bag of Holding, just in case. Simple enough.
Last night's thoughts continue to bother me throughout the day and classes and only seem to worsen when I talk to the girls. It's getting bothersome but it is what it is.
I pause as I spot Asuka, fidgeting as she looks around with an anxious look on her face. The clothes she wore accentuated her figure and personality well, catching the eyes of a lot of the boys, and even some of the girls, in the area.
With a quick check and a deep breath to calm down, I call out to Asuka. "Hey Asuka!"
She jumps a bit and turns before relaxing when she spots me. "Caleb-kun!" She starts to jog towards me as I walk to meet her halfway.
"Sorry I left ya waiting." I apologize as I scratch the back of my head. She seems to give me a once over before stopping and shaking herself out of her reverie.
"No, it's fine, I just got here early!" She answers while looking away, her face slightly flushed.
I couldn't help but quirk a brow as her blush seems to increase as I brush away a bit of hair from her face. "Then, should we get something to eat? Admittedly, I don't know this place too well to really recommend anything."
"R-Right!" She stutters before finding her composure. "L-let's go."
With that, I trail behind Asuka in the moderately busy mall of Asakusa. Occasionally, she'd note something and I'd comment but our conversations didn't really get that long.
Finally, we reached our destination, a simple cafe where we were seated and looked through the menu.
"Where'd you grow up, Caleb-kun?" Asuka asked out of the blue, as I couldn't help but stiffen at that.
I hummed, trying to remember the name of the town I lived in. And like always, a multitude of answers came to me, but none of them were right. "I dunno." I answer with a shrug, "Amnesia, remember?"
Something must have been off because she immediately changed the subject. "Th-then, what about memories, what do you remember from after? You did say you traveled around?"
A warm feeling pops from my chest as I couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I've met a few people here and there who've had stories of their own. Like this one time in Scandinavia, I met a priest."
"A priest?" She asks with a tilt of her head, leaning forward in interest as I couldn't stop the smile on my face.
"Yeah!" I exclaim as I continue, "He would go around performing 'exorcisms' with a bible in one hand and a shotgun in the other."
Asuka's mind seems to pause as she gives Caleb a confused look and he just cackles, "I know! That was my reaction too!"
And so, Caleb regaled tales of people he encountered in his time traveling while Asuka listened intently, occasionally giving her own stories.
Soon, they finished their food and began to trek towards the Aquarium.
Once they grabbed their tickets, they began to walk around. "Kind of sucks we won't be able to see the dolphins eh?" I ask as I stare at the tanks.
"A-Ah, yes." Asuka answers as she follows after me.
We enjoyed the sights, the blue, the fish all coming together to make a beautiful tapestry that's hard to look away from. At some point, Asuka placed her hand in mine and when I gave her a look she just blushed and said, "So we don't get separated."
I let it slide as we continued walking.
For the first time, I thought of nothing. Just looked as I held hands with a beautiful girl. I almost felt normal.
By the end of the walk, the sun was starting to darken as Asuka gave me a smile. "So, it seemed like you enjoyed it, Caleb-kun."
I jolt up and shake away the fog in my mind as I smile, "Yeah, it was a good time, I wouldn't mind doing it again."
That seems to excite Asuka as she gives a small cheer and hums as we begin to walk away from the aquarium.
The two of us fall into a comfortable silence as I begin to lead her home.
It was only until the pressure fell that I felt something was wrong, and so did Asuka. "Where-." I start as Asuka straightens and looks around.
"It's a Shinobi Barrier!" She realizes as she reaches behind her and in a flash of green, her wakizashis appear and she unsheathes them.
Almost as if waiting, a group of thuggish-looking students begin to file out. Yet they weren't there a second before, I would have noticed it otherwise.
"Well, if it isn't a pair of lovebirds. Out for a stroll?" One of them asks while leaning forward. My own hand reaches for my bag as I thumb around for a sword before I grip the hilt of a familiar one and flinch when I realize it's the Desert Wind. The luxurious scimitar heating up in what could almost be excitement.
"We'll let you go if you give us your money." Another yells as they try to circle us.
Their answer was simultaneous as Asuka and I glanced at each other. With a nod, our plan was a go as she rammed the hilt of one of her wakizashi at the back of the head of a thug while I stepped on the side of the knee of the one next to me and kneed them.
With a flourish, I reveal the Desert Wind, the luxurious scimitar heating up as I cut through a wooden sword. Meanwhile, Asuka slashes wildly, cutting them up as quickly as she could.
Meanwhile, with a burst of Ki, a warm wind surrounds me as I activate the Wind Stride maneuver and leap away from a strike as I cut into the leg of a thug only to be surprised when wood is shown instead of skin. Asuka pauses as she notes the same. "Wait, wha-?!"
She was interrupted when the thugs reached up, grabbed their 'skin' and pulled, revealing faceless wooden masks as I muttered, "Puppets?"
With that revelation, I changed my form and so did Asuka, "At what time are your parents expecting you?"
"In half an hour, why?" She asks, glancing at Caleb as he smirks, twirling the scimitar in a hand as he spins and lops off the head of a puppet.
"Then we should hurry up, wouldn't want to leave a bad impression on your family." With that, Caleb ducked under a swipe from a sword, this time steel, and lopped off a leg before kicking his side as he parried another hit and followed with a punch.
While Asuka's style is refined and erratic, with slashes going all over the place as she swiftly jumps around, Caleb danced, each swipe landing and each parry leading into another move that all-together painted a fatal picture full of beauty.
Asuka blocked a particularly heavy swipe as she almost missed the trail of lames that followed Caleb's disappearance and reappearance as he swiped at an enemy beside her as it burst into flames. She ignored it and made note to grill him on the new sword later before pushing away and swiping at the doll's exposed torso.
Caleb slid under a swipe, flames bursting from the Desert Wind as he activated the Burning Blade maneuver and slashed at the doll only to feel pressure as the doll blocks as he pulls back from the deadlock and slashed, nicking the wooden doll's arm as the flames began to spread at unprecedented speeds.
He let the doll burn as he cut through a pipe that was swung from another doll, the cut piece remained in the air for a bit, orange from the heat of the Desert Wind before Caleb plucked it from the air and jabbed it into the 'head' of the doll.
Meanwhile, his stalker chuckles with dignity as she stares at the young man fighting against her dolls. "How savage. I love dominant men." She continues staring at the young man, weaving in between her dolls with grace and savagery. "Far more satisfying when they break~."
He leaned his back on the back of a doll as it stumbled but stayed upright as he rolled over it and cut its torso when he was on his feet before grabbing the head and throwing it into a crowd as the flames on the sword reappear and he slashes at them. The flames gather and spread in ways that could only be supernatural.
"Oooh~, he has experience." She notes, his unbothered eyes, the understanding of his own abilities, and the understanding of his own opponents all gathered from what could only be years of training.
She continued noting the two for a bit longer and huffed, the movement causing her chest to bounce as she laughed, "That's enough."
Finally, Caleb cut down the last doll and looked around, noticing that Asuka is also doing the same. Soon, the Barrier was lowered and the two looked around cautiously until none appeared.
With a flourish, the flames on the Desert Wind disappeared and so did the feeling of a warm wind as he deactivated the two maneuvers, leaving Caleb and a very curious Asuka alone.
This was going to be a very long walk.
A/N: Well, chapter 6 is finally out and guess who?
It's been way too long but this isn't a one-person project, it has two people. I'm a bit rusty so I hope you guys could enjoy it regardless since university has been a pain in the ass.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!
