Kakarot raised his battered arms one last time. They burned, as did his lungs, crying out for air and a moment of respite.
Tenshinhan still surpassed him, but not by much. At first, it was his greater experience, longer limbs, and better technique that allowed him to dominate. But little by little, he managed to chip down the distance. The three-eyed boy was on guard, also breathing fast, which was new, and his body covered in sweat. Soon it would be blood.
The earth shook for a beat, and a great stir arose in the main courtyard. Tenshinhan's face dropped his usual scowl for a split second, and Kakarot could swear he saw a smile begin to form at the corners of his mouth. The Earthling turned to the Crane Hermit. "Can we end the fight earlier today, Master?"
The old man, staring in the direction of the tremor, stood silent for a moment, then nodded. "Go."
Tenshinhan bowed before his master and cleared the wall of the inner training yard with a single leap. Kakarot walked out the door, trying to hide his curiosity.
The students of the Crane School crowded a corner of the walled compound, which was forbidden to all for some reason. Kakarot never cared enough to ask. He levitated over the bunch to observe the cause of the commotion. A long, thick tree trunk was stuck in the ground at an angle like a huge arrow. Its side bore an inscription: Wait for my arrival in three days. Tao Pai Pai.
Kakarot recalled that name from the Turtle Hermit's stories. He was the Crane Hermit's younger brother and his skills had earned him the title of the World's Greatest Assassin.
Tenshinhan approached the tree trunk with almost religious fear and raised a trembling hand toward the letters engraved on the wood. His index finger traced the characters with great ceremony. When he finished, he turned around and noticed that all the other students were watching him. The shy smile on his face snapped shut into a fierce scowl, his body tensed, and he extended a clenched fist to the crowd. "What the hell are you still doing here?" The three-eyed boy yelled at them with a red face. "We have only three days to prepare for the arrival of Master Tao Pai Pai."
The crowd dispersed at once, and Tenshinhan let out a sigh of relief. Kakarot cleared his throat to let him know he was hovering over him. The Earthling's face contracted for an instant, but soon regained his usual composure.
Kakarot smirked, having found a possible weak spot in his training partner. "Shall we continue where we left off?"
Tenshinhan turned his back on him and started walking away. "No. We must prepare for the arrival of the World's Greatest Assassin. As members of the Crane School, we must honor our superior."
For Kakarot, this Tao Pai Pai was just another strong Earthling to learn from. It seemed like his schedule for the three days had become free, though, so he decided to use them to work on the Dodonpa.
Even without having mastered it, the Crane Hermit's technique was superior to the Kamehameha. It required much less ki and charging time to perform in its most basic form, and like the Turtle Hermit's technique, it could be overcharged to increase its power. Unlike the Kamehameha, which acted like a giant hammer, the smaller size of the Dodonpa's blast allowed precision attacks, and the heat released by the beam and the explosion it caused upon impact could cause debilitating damage to the enemy even if it didn't land right on target.
This last feature of the technique was what he most struggled with. It was a more advanced level of ki control than generating light, and learning the Solar Flare had taken him a whole week. Now he only had three days, but if even Chiaotzu had been able to master the technique, it should be enough time for him to learn it.
The day had finally arrived. Three years, seven months, and twenty-one days had passed since Tao Pai Pai's last visit. Tenshinhan had hardly been able to sleep in the expectation of seeing him again, but still remained in bed with his gaze fixed on the ceiling of his room. Before sunrise, he got up and got dressed in his newest and cleanest tunic; he had to present an impeccable image.
His fingers trembled slightly as he did the laces on his chest, his mind racing with anticipation. Tenshinhan knew it wasn't the lack of sleep. He meditated for a while to try to calm down, but he couldn't get the thoughts and memories out of his mind; of how it all began. The memories of his childhood, his parents, and the Three-Eyed People.
They lived secluded in the mountains of the west, where legends told their ancestors had arrived from the stars. For centuries, his people ruled over the western continent of Yahhoi. Besides the third eye in the middle of their foreheads, they had other superhuman abilities, such as being able to unfold into multiple bodies or create additional limbs at will.
They were few to begin with, so many resorted to breeding with the two-eyed humans who served them. In time, their blood was watered down; their skills lost. When Tenshinhan was born sixteen years ago, the last descendant of his people's former ruling house, he was the only child born to two three-eyed parents, who had in turn been the last in their generation.
He was six years old when a band of raiders assaulted and massacred his village in the middle of the night. They hunted them for their third eyes. Stories told of them being able to prolong life and many had tried the same thing over the centuries. There were no warriors left among their people, only his father, who died surrounded by enemies.
Tenshinhan could still remember the smell of carnage and smoke, the heat of the flames, and his mother's sobs as she hid him under the floorboards. When all became quiet again, Tenshinhan did not dare to leave for days, but thirst finally forced him out. Only ruins and ashes remained, and the spoiled corpses of his kin.
He gathered some provisions and walked towards the rising sun with tears in his three eyes. He had been raised like a prince, so he didn't know how to fend for himself. Despite his pride, he accepted the charity of others to survive, and when that became intolerable, he stole.
But he was young and ignorant of the world, and one day he stole from the wrong person. He was a rich man, a criminal of some sort. Only his clothes and his car were worth more than the town in they were in. One of his bodyguards noticed Tenshinhan's hand in his boss' pocket and grabbed him by the wrist. The rich man was furious. At his order, his protector took out a weapon and pointed at Tenshinhan's face. He cocked it, and was about to pull the trigger, when a wind from the north blew, and a man appeared.
The bodyguard released him and aimed his gun at the stranger. He wore traditional eastern black clothes under a pink over-tunic that waved in the wind, as did the long black braid in which he gathered his hair.
"Tao Pai Pai… it can't be…" the rich man stammered. "I paid you to kill the head of the Ferrari Family. Did you betray me?"
"Betray you?" Tao Pai Pai said, a gesture of disdain branded on his weathered face. "I killed the old man like you paid me to, Don Lamborghini. Our business ended then and there."
"So what are you doing here?"
Tao Pai Pai smirked and raised a hand to his black mustache. "His son, and new head of the family, hired me to kill you. To pay blood for blood, as it were."
The mobster could do nothing but tremble, but he managed to utter a single word: "Fire."
A storm of bullets broke the silence. After emptying their weapons, the bodyguards continued to squeeze the triggers. There was no trace of Tao Pai Pai in the place where he should have lay dead. At once, the two bodyguards hit the ground. The mob boss fell to his knees and begged for his life at the assassin's feet. "I'll pay you as much as you ask, but please don't kill me."
Tao Pai Pai remained unmoved by the fat man's cries. "I'm a hired assassin, I don't save people for money, I kill them." He squatted down, extended a finger, and pointed it between the mobster's eyes, who squirmed with tears and snot running down his face. Tao Pai Pai drove his finger into the man's head as if it were made of warm butter, and his eyes became blank as he died. The assassin cleaned his finger on the man's suit, got up, and started walking away.
Tenshinhan, filled with fear, but also hope, ran to the man and knelt before him. "Please, sir, accept me as your disciple. I will do whatever you ask without complaint or scruple."
"I don't take disciples, boy," rumbled Tao Pai Pai's voice in his chest. "The path of an assassin is a lonely one, even more so that of one without peer. But if it's strength you're after, travel to the northern mountains. Look for the Crane School." Without another word, Tao Pai Pai continued on his way.
Tenshinhan knelt on the ground for a long time, mustering the courage to take the assassin's advice, knowing that if he took the first step he would have to go all the way, to any end. With nothing to lose, he set off north. Eight long years had passed since then, and in all that time he had only seen his savior twice.
Tenshinhan hurried to the large courtyard in front of the main building and led the rest of the students in formation. The last to arrive was Chiaotzu, who since his defeat at Kakarot's hands had been distant and taciturn, even with him.
The sliding door of the main building opened, and the Crane Hermit came out next to Tao Pai Pai. The man hadn't changed at all, he looked right out of his memories. Everyone bowed before the Crane School masters. The siblings examined the students in silence.
The Crane Hermit ordered a demonstration of skill by the lesser students, who gave their best effort. Tenshinhan, Chiaotzu, and Kakarot watched them from the porch of the main building beside the masters. From time to time, Tenshinhan used his third eye to steal glances at Tao Pai Pai, who yawned loudly as a sign of dissatisfaction.
The Crane Hermit hid his frustration for a while as best as he could, then stood up. "That's enough," he announced. "Now we will proceed to a demonstration of our advantaged students."
"Watching Tenshinhan easily defeat Chiaotzu will be equally boring, brother," Tao Pai Pai argued. "If you don't have anything worth showing, it's best not to show anything."
The old master frowned behind his sunglasses, but then chuckled and gestured towards Kakarot. "As you can see we have a new student with great potential, one who has surpassed Chiaotzu and rivals Tenshinhan. If it would please you, they will fight for your enjoyment."
Kakarot, my rival? Tenshinhan thought, driving his nails into his palms. In what world is that insolent child my equal? And he said it before Tao Pai Pai.
The World's Greatest Assassin raised an eyebrow and examined Kakarot more closely. Tenshinhan had already caught him glancing discreetly at the boy while the other students made their demonstration. "Maybe it'll be entertaining."
The Crane Hermit gave a thunderous clap, and both Kakarot and Tenshinhan stood up and faced each other in the courtyard.
"Let the fight begin!"
Tenshinhan hurried to deliver the first blow and continued his assault. He wasn't going to leave this offense unanswered. He had to state before everyone the true order of things. Kakarot defended well but was forced to retreat.
They fought for minutes before Tenshinhan took flight. On land, they were more even than he would ever admit, but the air gave him the advantage. Even so, Kakarot knew how to adapt to his unorthodox angles of attack and stood up to him, making him keep his three eyes fixed on him.
Tenshinhan launched a kick to Kakarot's face, who dodged down and rolled his monkey tail around Tenshinhan's stretched leg, swinging over it and delivering an uppercut to his chin as he came up.
Tenshinhan wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. He could only imagine Tao Pai Pai's face while contemplating the fight, and what would he be thinking? Was this what he saved his life for, just so he could be second best? No. He had to destroy Kakarot and prove he had not wasted the life he owed him.
Tenshinhan knew that his opponent had developed counters for the Solar Flare and the Dodonpa, so using them would only mean a waste of energy, which Kakarot would undoubtedly take advantage of. But the monkey-tailed boy had never faced the techniques of the Three-Eyed People.
Tenshinhan extended his arms to both sides and concentrated his ki on his shoulders and back. Every vein in his body pulsated under his skin. He felt his upper back being torn apart, but he endured the pain. He pulled his arms together, fists clenched in front of him, and pushed his ki outwards, forcing two arms identical to his own to sprout out of his back. "Time to end this," he said with a grin in his reddened face, and lunged at Kakarot, unleashing a barrage of punches.
Kakarot stopped two arms, leaving his other two free to attack at will. He tried to follow his movements, but it was impossible to overcome having two fewer arms than your opponent. The boy hid behind his guard and stopped attacking, waiting for a moment of respite to counterattack. A moment which Tenshinhan did not intend to grant.
It took Kakarot a while to adapt and use his legs to counter being out-limbed, but Tenshinhan also had legs, so they returned to the starting point. Then he tried to use his tail, against which Tenshinhan had no answer, but he still maintained an advantage of one limb, so the combat remained in his favor.
Still, maintaining the Four Arms Technique required a considerable expenditure of energy. If he did not finish him soon, it would soon be Kakarot who would gain the edge.
The monkey-tailed boy leaned back and took a deep breath. His gaze took on a sharp glint as if the rest of the world had disappeared. Tenshinhan turned his third eye to Tao Pai Pai, who watched the fight with interest. Despite the punishment received, Kakarot smiled, as if he had discovered something.
Focus, dammit! Tenshinhan said to himself. He's just playing mind games. He can't beat you and he knows it.
Kakarot concentrated his ki, creating an aura that distorted the air around him. He was concentrating all his strength to deliver a single blow, risking the fight on the next move. At once he disappeared from sight, coming and going, tracing circles around him at a speed that even his three eyes could hardly follow. Tenshinhan formed an impenetrable guard with his four arms. Kakarot's afterimages mocked him with confident grins. The last thing Tenshinhan saw were two little hands besides his mocking smile. And light.
Tenshinhan regained consciousness with his face on the ground. His vision was still blurry and he felt the absence of his two extra arms on his back. In their place, there was only a searing pain. Even getting on his knees took all his remaining strength. Standing beside him, the Crane Hermit looked at him with disappointment.
"I had the advantage... I had him cornered and forced him to act out of desperation. I was watching him so closely... How could he beat me?" Tenshinhan asked.
"In the absence of weaknesses, he used your strengths against you," the Crane Hermit said. "Your prodigious vision was fixed on following him and fell easy prey to his Solar Flare. Your four arms couldn't protect your back, which is where he attacked after blinding you."
Tenshinhan gritted his teeth. Kakarot had been able to analyze his technique in the middle of the fight and adapt to it despite being the first time he had faced it. He hated to admit it, but the little bastard was an exceptional fighter. On the porch, Tao Pai Pai congratulated Kakarot on his victory.
One day, I will kill him, Tenshinhan swore.
