Chapter 9: Umbral
In the last chapter, Tetsu faced off against two high-ranking warriors. One who controls flames and another who happens to be Fang's father, Zhulong. The Fire user started throwing fireballs at him and it zipped past Tetsu, burning the tip of his hair. Tetsu didn't let go of his katana and as an added insult to his pride, the Fire user immediately had a vein popping on the side of his head when he saw Tetsu catch one of his fireballs and began playing with it.
Outraged, his attack became much more fierce. "You insufferable little brat!" Now with more power poured into his flames, he conjured a much bigger fireball that covered up the entire hallway. Zhulong on the other hand was more annoyed but he didn't show it in his expression.
"That idiot is going to burn down the building at this rate!" He began gathering some defensive magic but her daughter, Madam Fang stops him. Seeing the confused look on his face, she reassures him. Confirming her statement, Tetsu held the fireball in one hand while he stretched out his other hand at the incoming giant ball of flame.
"Burn in hell!" He shouted. Throwing the giant ball of flames, Tetsu still didn't move but he gave a smirk as if he found out something. "Ah, so that's how it feels" he whispered and the ball came in contact with his hand.
The Fire user laughs in delight, believing that he had won the fight. But his laughter soon turned into horror when he noticed that his attack wasn't moving but was fixed in place. Tetsu closed his hand into a fist and the giant ball of flame was instantly extinguished.
"I do not seek fame"
Tetsu gets into a stance, readying his katana. Madam Fang knew what he was going to do and brought up a shield made of earth. Her father didn't question her and instead, empowers the shield further with his own.
"Nor the applause of a Crowd"
However, it seems that the Fire user was a bit slow on the uptake and thought that he was speaking nonsense. Not following the anime rule of letting your opponent finish his or her attack, the Fire user goes in for the kill and is blinded by rage.
"Speak with the Blade"
Everything slows down in his eyes. Tetsu's entire world was instantly moving at super slow speed, taking the advantage of his skills, he approached the Fire user, unaware of his fate, pulling out his katana, he send a few slashes at him. Once completed his attack, behind him, the Fire user and Tetsu puts his katana back in his scabbath. Turning around, he gives a bow, finishing his attack and his mantra.
"And I leave with a bow."
The world returned to normal. The Fire user's scream was cut short when he didn't see Tetsu in front of him.
"I thank you for the battle"
He turns around and finds Tetsu standing there. Confused but still raging, he claws at him, but before he could do so, his body stops and begins to shake uncontrollably, his eye began to turn red, and falls to the ground jerking. He was unable to speak and his eyes shows pain but no one could understand what was going on.
"Call for a Medic!" yelled Madam Fang. Immediately, people in hooded clothing appeared and carried him out of the place.
Tetsu eyes Zhulong and her father eyed him back. Both giving each other a staredown, sensing the tension, Madam Fang jumps in and breaks both the fighters apart. "Ok there, both of you that will be enough roughhousing for the day, "She said with a laugh and continues "Last thing we need is a new building" she explained with a dejected tone.
Zhulong sigh and gave Tetsu a look that could kill before questioning him. "So, I heard that you want to marry my beautiful daughter? Sadly you're a bit too young to be married," he questioned, but Tetsu didn't look fazed by his questions and instead just answered honestly.
"I don't care what you say, I made a promise to marry her, and I will marry her."
A large pulsing vein can be seen on the side of his head. The ground quakes with anger. Tetsu was ready to cut him down but his daughter wacks him on the back of his head and the quaking stops. He was impressed at the sheer power he wielded and so, he puts the katana by his side, all hostility has been released. Tetsu has gone back to his usual personality and reached out his hand for a handshake.
With a smile, he greeted his future father "Hello, father. I hope to impress you with my skills" but it backfired when Zhulong misunderstood what Tetsu meant. "Skills? What 'Skills' are you talking about!? Do you mean the ones in the bedroom, boy?" he rambles as his thoughts of protecting his daughter began to go all over the place.
Whereas Tetsu, made either the worse or best mistake of his life and replied with a straight face "Yes, that's exactly what I meant" Zhulong's mind finally broke. No, to say that is an understatement, his whole mind was shattered. He slumps down and begins laughing, worried about his health, he approached his father-in-law but his head snaps up and a terrifying demon was in his place instead.
"I'm going to murder you, you little brat!" Zhulong screams while bleeding tears of blood.
Tetsu turns and saw Madam Fang giving him a wave before disappearing behind a door, leaving him and her father alone in the hallway.
"Oh shit"
Madam Fang, on the other hand, wasn't as stoic or professional as she thought she was. On the floor, her breathing was rapid and she has a flustered expression. "That boy, heh, what a cute way to confess to me," she said with joy then revealed a smile that could stop men in their tracks. Madam Fang who was known to be cold and cunning has fallen for a child.
"So? How are things going on out there?"
Suddenly, three shadowy figures came out of the shadows and kneels before her. The one in the middle was tall and slim, almost like a girl, and beside her, were two huge bulking ones.
"Yes, Princess. The boy seems to be fairing well against the Master. However, he doesn't look to be fighting back." The middle one explained, seemingly showing to be the leader of the three. But, their next words were their mistake.
"Permission to speak freely, Princess?" the Leader asked.
"Permission to speak."
"It is wise to..." the middle one hesitated but still manages to voice their opinion. "Do you believe it is wise to trust someone as dangerous as.." but before they could complete their sentence, the ground beneath them sunk and wrapped them while creating spikes that were very close to their throat.
Madam Fang begins to speak, but it wasn't her normal voice but a cold and threatening one. "I don't recall giving you 'Permission to speak freely' instead I said 'Permission to speak,' now what does that sound like to you?" Immediately, they knew that they had to choose their words very carefully
"Princess! We beg for your forgiveness!" They begged but The Princess, Madam Fang, only continue to give them the cold stare and her earth-made restraint began to coil tighter and their neck slowly approached the spikes that could end them. After what felt like an eternity, she released them from her trap. "Keep in mind, I can do worse should you speak ill of him again"
This time, they chose their words carefully "Princess, what is it that you see in him?"
"Now we're getting somewhere," She said gleefully. Then begins to explain her side of her love story. After minutes of complimenting Tetsu, she then explains his bad points with a serious tone "He has many good qualities in him, but even so, I feel like he doesn't put his mind to a lot of things, that fight and confession just now, his heart wasn't in it." This almost enrages them, but to keep their lives, they continue to listen, much to their displeasure.
"Fu gong is by no means a weakling but that doesn't mean is weak either. I only spend a few hours with him but I can already tell what kind of person he is." She paused, letting the words hang over them for a moment before continuing her explanation "To me, I feel like the only times he's ever been genuine are when he was facing my father, crippling Fu gong, and saying that he will marry me"
But despite what she said, it didn't make any sense were the thoughts of the shadows before her. But she soon cleared up the confusion "I understand that you are confused, but I know what I'm saying. Because Tetsu is operating based on the orders left by someone he either use to work with or is it something else entirely?"
"How did you come to such a conclusion, Princess?" the middle one asked. Her Princess showed a proud smile, "Have you forgotten? We have the world's best scientist within our midst, and she saw and heard the whole thing"
After a while, Fang comes out of the room. Her shadows not following her but always close by. Seeing that the hallways have been cleaned up of blood and body parts, she begins her next step in finding Tetsu, but instead of asking for directions, she seems to know where she needs to go. After a few minutes since the building is huge, she finds Tetsu and her father together but Tetsu seems to have an argument with an elderly man.
"I'm about to whoop your ass old man cause I'm sick of playing games! You, me, him! Everyone's asses around here!" He said with annoyance. But her father was laughing the entire time. Confused with the situation, she approached her father. Zhulong saw her daughter and instantly knew what she wanted to say.
"Here for answers I presume?" He cleverly asked. Madam Fang pouts and gives him her best comeback "I've already got my answers, I'm just here with new questions. Seems like my husband has gotten your favor" she slyly remarks.
Surprisingly, he didn't get angry but laughed. "I spoke to him and he doesn't seem to be a bad kid. But you know how our family is, my dear daughter, information is our main source, and that kid seems to have a terrifying past." Madam Fang looked a bit frustrated that her own father was able to find out about his past faster than her but still respects him enough to not ask him about it.
Her father once again knew what she was thinking. "No need to hide it. I know you want to know more about your husband's past?" he asked, stressing the husband part. She lightly scoffs at him, "Oh dear father, if I needed your help, then I would not have gotten anywhere" she explained "I am not a child anymore, father, I stopped being one for a long time." then they fell silent. Their worlds were beginning to slow down, knowing what the weight of her words meant to the both of them.
Tetsu's calling caught their attention and Zhulong went to him while Madam Fang stood where she at. A thought went through her mind "A simple child that was cursed with bad luck at birth... only to be broken when he finds a home" she thought as she watches him interact with her father. Smiling at the sweet scene, she joins them.
"I guess everything will be alright" she concluded her thought.
Tetsu greets her, then she asked him why was he arguing with the old man behind him. He began explaining to her what happened ten minutes ago. Once she disappeared behind the door, he and Zhulong had a bit of a fight after that, her father for some reason decided to give him a tour of the building. There was a torture room which he had to break down the door to escape, then there was the other torture room, then there was another torture room and so on, up until they arrived at where they at.
"And we're here. Welcome to the Dojo." He said with a weirdly fresh expression. Tetsu on the other hand looked tired and annoyed. "Now then Tetsu, please come and greet the Dojo's master."
Knowing his manners, he took off his shoes and bowed before coming in. However, he destroyed the image of him being a boy with manners in seconds when he approached the Dojo's master and did not greet him respectfully but demanded his name.
"Who are you!" He yelled out.
"Yu"
"No, not me, you!"
"Yes, I'm Yu"
"Just answer the damn question, who are you"
"I have told you"
"Are you deaf?"
"No, Yu is blind"
"I'm not blind, you blind!"
"That is what I just said"
"You just said 'what'"
"I did not say 'what' I said Yu"
"That is what I'm asking you!"
"And Yu is answering"
"Oh come on! You!" Tetsu then points at Zhulong but Master Yu misunderstands and answers him only for Tetsu to angrily correct him "Not you, him!" Once again, Tetsu asked Zhulong for his name, but Zhulong gain a wide grin before he said his name was "I am Mi" confused but still pushing for the answer Tetsu once again, asked his name and Zhulong continues to give him the fake one.
Then the Dojo Master decided to clear things up but to no avail, did it work. You know why.
"He is Mi, and I am Yu"
"And I'm about to whoop your ass old man cause I'm sick of playing games! You, me, him! Everyone's asses around here!"
And Tetsu finishes his story there. Madam Fang couldn't help but burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. She thought he had problems conveying his emotions but she got it all wrong, he was just new to everything and is trying to use what he had learned and use it here. Guess she had a lot of things to teach him.
"Alright, Tetsu, time to learn something new," She said as she takes his hand and later enjoys teaching him about her family. By the time the sun set, Tetsu had learned a lot of things, he looked more refreshed than he ever did in his entire life, and he had Madam Fang to thank for.
Madam Fang was happy that Tetsu was learning her culture and customs, but there was one thing she was still worried about. "Hey, Tetsu?" she called out to him. Looking back, he noticed that she has a bit of a serious expression so he thought that whatever it is, best to answer earnestly. "Yes? Is something the matter?" He replied.
She knew that it was a bit too soon to ask but she needed to know a bit of the truth. Yes, only a little bit of the truth is what she told herself, is what she was trying to believe in. "Tetsu, you had the chance to kill some of our maids and butlers today. Why didn't you? And why is it that you wield your sword?" She asked, but she asked an extra question, something that was unnecessary but was needed. Tetsu didn't say anything but the silence was starting to give her bad signals, she started to bring up her defense but finally, Tetsu answered.
"Because my father said only kill those who deserve it."
She didn't expect that kind of answer but it was still an answer nonetheless, an answer that gave birth to new questions that she needed more answers to. "What... what did you're father tell you?" She hesitantly asked, but he was oblivious to it.
"Oh, he told me to kill those who deserve it, depending on what they did, "Kill the part that they either value most or which part they harmed you with' or something on that line"
"And where is he now?"
"He died protecting me" Tetsu said with a dejected tone. Knowing how it feels to lose a family, Madam Fang wanted to comfort him but he didn't want any closure. "No need to look sad Madam Fang, I just need to fulfill his last wish, going to school and enjoy life as it comes my way"
Tetsu walks down the stairs leaving her alone to process her thoughts. She thought that he was just following the orders of someone he use to work with but with the way he spoke highly of his father, she came to a conclusion that it wasn't that he was brought up in a place that made him a killer, no, it was a choice that was pushed onto him. Madam Fang knew a lot of people, and with the range of contract she had made over the years in her families business, she could tell a good person from a bad one or if they're lying.
Tetsu is by no means innocent, but he has a good heart. She knew that for certain now that she spend enough time with him. From what she can see, Tetsu is nothing more but a child in anything outside of assassination and that he will be kept a close eye on at all time.
"This will be interesting. Watching over him is going to be a walk in the park"
Tetsu screamed and Madam Fang rushed forward and saw that he was pointing his blade at a dog. "Stay right there wolf! Even though you're all cute and fuzzy, just stay there!" he yelled at the dog, but the dog tilt it's head cutely before approaching him and started pawing him on the leg. Stunned and confused, Tetsu still manages to say something with an excited voice when he saw Madam Fang.
"Hey look! I tamed a Wolf! I am awesome!"
She sigh but accepting that this is Tetsu and whatever is going to happen from now on will be better for him. She joins him and calms him down, watching the sun set with confidence that all that has happen today is a sign that the next sun rise, will be the moment where his journey has begun.
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Somewhere on top of the buildings of district 7, a person's cape flutters in the wind. His face was hidden by the shadow of the night and his malicious smile looms over the city. "What a beautiful city" his spoke in a soft tone. Suddenly, he received a call and he pressed the button on his earphone to answer.
"Subject H.B.K.9. You are needed" A man said over the phone, referring to the receiver as a Unit instead of his name. "Unless, it's something important, I suggest that you forget calling me on this line" the subject said in a annoyed tone. But the man over the other end laughs at his disrespect and ignores it.
"I wouldn't be calling you if it wasn't important." The man said with a stern tone. "Now then, I hope you're ready for the next hunt. This one... Code Gray"
His smile widens, knowing what the Code meant.
"A game of Dead or Alive huh, alright, I'm in. So who's the guy that I need to hunt?"
The man on the other end said one name.
"Tetsu"
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A/n: Hi, now my brain is dead tired XD
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