Grant was reading an old copy of a large book entitled 'Information and Communication Technology' as he sat on a big white easy chair in his dad's living room. He heard the front door open and a couple of voices but didn't look up.

"Grant," his father said. "We need to talk to you."

When he looked up he saw his father and grandmother standing there, looking concerned. He closed the book and sat up.

"What's wrong; is it Runa?"

"Grant, we know what you did," his father said. "You put that boy in the hospital."

Grant acted confused, "What boy?"

"You can't do things like that," Ellie told him.

"If you're referring to that piece of crap that beat the hell out of Runa, he deserved it," Grant told them. "But I didn't do it."

"Don't lie to me son," Paul said. "I didn't get you started in the martial arts for this."

Grant went back to looking at his book.

"You're right!" Ellie said to Grant. "He did deserve it. He was nothing but a weasel."

"Indeed," Grant said without looking up.

"But you're better than that," she told him. "You can't just go around hurting people like him. That's not what a true martial artist does."

"I was defending myself."

Paul looked at Ellie and nodded. Ellie sighed and shook her head.

"How does beating someone to death, qualify as self defense?" Paul asked him.

"I was defending Runa too and he already beat the hell out of HER!" Grant said loudly, standing up.

"What you did was brave, Grant," Ellie told him, "but you could have killed him. And I wouldn't have been able to protect you then."

"Protect me?"

"You could be in huge trouble here," Paul said. "Do you realize that?"

"Whatever," Grant said.

"You have your whole future ahead of you and you want to throw it away for some girl you barely know," Paul told him.

Ellie laughed.

"What?" Paul asked her.

"I seem to remember another young man who almost did the same thing."

"That was different. It didn't involve murder!" Paul said.

"Nobody murdered anyone!" Grant said.

"You may have taken away that young man's future which is as close to murder as you can get without doing it!"

"He didn't have a future! He's nothing! He's less than nothing," Grant defended.

"And that's what you would be if anyone found out about this. I didn't send you to train so you could be an assassin. What you learned is for someone mature, who respects life. And apparently you don't," Paul scolded.

Grant lowered his head, angry and ashamed.

"Young men do not have the control needed, Paul. I told you to wait," Ellie said.

"Well. What do we do now?" Paul asked her.

"Now," Ellie said, "We clean upthis mess."