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This story has been beta by TheReader2011. Enjoy, leave a review for me to improve!
A few days earlier before Yomi Armed students transfer
"Damn they are persistent!" cursed Kaku of the Three Headed Dragon team from DFOD as he parried a sword strike from an assassin of the Black Tiger White Dragon organization.
He and his friends were currently on a train in China trying to escape the said organization as they had been sentenced to death for losing not only in the tournament but for being soundly defeated by Ma Renka and Natsu Taninmoto, who could have said technically said to be a part of the Phoenix Alliance, their rivals. Not to mention Kaku had already been on his second chance.
The trio decided to run, hoping to find a safe haven within the Phoenix Alliance. However, despite their best efforts to shake off the assassins from their former organization, they were still fighting off former allies, who didn't even seem fazed they were hunting what used to be members.
"Kaku, behind you!" warned Yin Lin, the female of the group.
Kaku immediately back stepped, dodging a vertical slice that would have bisected him in half. The sword, however, managed to cut his jacket zipper, letting his jacket open up from the released tension. The said action caused the document that Ma Kensei had given them to slip out of his jacket pocket, landing on the edge of a seat away from them.
Kaku tried to grab the document, only to be cut off as the assassins surrounded them once more, leaving the document out of his reach.
"In this narrow passage, we can't use our Roku Gou Jin," panted Yin Lin.
"Dammit, are we done for?" sighed Kaku, ignoring the trickle of blood falling from his forehead from a hit.
"Don't say that!" exclaimed Yo, his back towards them as he was facing off more enemies in front of him.
"Kaku Shin Ten and his companions, right?" voiced a female, who was still sitting in her seat despite the fact all the other passengers had fled, "I heard you escaped from the Black Tiger White Dragon Alliance and are now being hunted."
All of them slowly turned towards the source of the voice, who huffed as she continued, "Geez.. Why is papa giving away these documents that easily? He's always causing trouble for others."
"Who's there!?" demanded one of the assassins as he thrust his sword towards the source of the voice, not even hesitating to kill in case it was a threat.
"You ask who I am?" questioned the voice as she jumped over the thrust, "I am the daughter of the leader of your rival organization, the Phoenix Alliance... Ma Renka!"
Instantly she pounced on the assassins, leaving them no chance to even counterattack. In only a few minutes, the only people conscious were Renka, Kaku, Yo, and Yin Lin.
"Hmph, to think you couldn't even handle enemies of this caliber," huffed Renka in disappointment, "Even the pervert would've dealt with them faster than you lot."
"Shut up," hissed Kaku in embarrassment at seeing how easily Renka dealt with the assassins.
"Wait, pervert? Who's that?" asked Yin Lin.
"None of your business," snapped Renka before taking a deep breath, "Follow me. China isn't safe for you anymore, even if you stay at one of the Phoenix Alliance's cities. And there is no way I'm taking you to our headquarters."
"Then where are we going to go?" snapped Kaku.
"Back to where I was living. Back to Japan," stated Renka.
Back to the present time
"Hello this is Miu Fuurinji of Ryozanpaku speaking, who is this?" asked Miu, picking up the phone.
"Get my father on the phone!" shouted Renka from the other line.
"Oh Renka, you're back," commented Miu.
"Yea, I just got back. Is my father there? Geez, it's all because of his order that I have to deal with his mess!" huffed Renka, looking back at the Three Headed Dragon team as they dug into the food she had provided, leaving a mess as they did so before making some intolerable demands while waiving the document Kensei had given them, "The Three Headed Dragon team that the pervert and I beat up are here, seeking sanctuary."
"I'm sorry, but your father isn't home at the moment," frowned Miu, trying to think where exactly he was.
The last timeline, he had some sort of business that he had to go to, which they later found out was going to a special magazine to get the latest gravure idol wearing tiny swimsuits. However, this time he had some sort of business at the hospital that he didn't go into too much detail. Of course, the others called the hospital to make sure he was actually there and also called the shop owner of the said store to notify them if he went there.
"Grr, useless papa," growled Renka in frustration, "Never mind, I'll try somewhere else."
With that, Renka hung up the phone, surprising Miu. In the last timeline, Renka had made Miu give Kenichi the phone and made up a lie about how the Kaku and the others had severe injuries and how their last dying wish was to see Kenichi once more.
"What changed?" pondered Miu before realizing just what had changed. Kaku and the others had never fought Kenichi in this timeline, thus that little lie wouldn't have worked as well. Not to mention that Renka wasn't as driven as the last timeline in pursuing Kenichi.
"Kenichi!" shouted Miu.
"Already on my way," shouted Kenichi back as he rushed out the door.
"Apachai, could you follow him?" asked Miu.
"Apapa!" cheered Apachai as he left to follow Kenichi.
Kenichi was soon at Yokohama, Chinatown, looking down at the streets when he noticed something very different from the last timeline.
"Wait, where's Apachai?" blinked Kenichi to himself as he looked around to see.
Meanwhile, with Apachai
"Apapa, here you go," smiled Apachai as he gently placed a kitten stuck on a tree back to his owner's hand.
"Thank you mister!" smiled the child, hugging his kitten.
"No problem, Apa!" laughed Apachai before looking around, "What was Apachai supposed to do again?"
Before Apachai could think about it more, the heavenly smell of food distracted him. Last time, Ryozanpaku had given Kenichi a minute head start before Apachai went to catch up. This time, Apachai had gone a minute earlier. It was just because of this minute that Apachai was distracted by some children crying. If the children had just waited a minute, their mother would have arrived to take them home safely. However, because of that, Apachai went to comfort them until their mother arrived. Then a series of events kept distracting him from catching up to Kenichi.
Back in Chinatown
"Apachai where'd you go!?" panicked Kenichi, almost running around in circles now. Before he could blow out to a full on panic, something made him stop panicking.
"Natsuo, Sho?" Kenichi half-shouted.
Natsu and Sho turned around, having heard their name, and looked at Kenichi in surprise.
"Shirahama? What are you doing here?" asked Natsu in his Hermit gear. (Calling him Natsu from now on as I keep typing Natsu instead of Hermit.)
"And who said you can call me so familiarly!" pointed Sho.
"Well you seem to let Izumi do so easily," remarked Kenichi, causing Sho to wince.
"That's a special case! And shut up, don't say anything!" shouted Sho, pointing at Kenichi with a tick mark on his head.
"Okay, but why are you here?" asked Kenichi again for clarification.
Sho immediately pointed to Natsu, who felt a tick mark appear on his forehead in anger.
"I didn't want to come, you dragged me here!" growled Natsu.
"Well you seemed like you wanted to go?" remarked Sho.
"Like hell I did! Did you not see me slam the phone down?" shouted Natsu.
"Your sister said otherwise," pouted Sho, causing Natsu to flinch.
"So...," said Kenichi, motioning for Sho to continue.
"Oh it went like this!" grinned Sho.
Flashback begins
"Big brother, telephone for you!" shouted Kaede.
"Alright, coming," said Natsu as he left the bathroom as he had just finished a quick shower after training.
"Man, hard training, right?" remarked Sho from the couch.
Sho had been training with Sogetsu and Natsu a bit, considering that Sogetsu should've also been one of his masters instead of Ro Jisei. Sogetsu didn't want to train Sho, but in the end, decided to just so Yami wouldn't pester him.
"Mm," mumbled Natsu as he picked up the phone, "This is Natsu Taninmoto, who is this?"
"Pervert, it's me!" shouted Renka through the phone so loud that even Sho could hear it.
"What do you want, exhibitionist? And how did you even get this number!" demanded Natsu.
"Not important," replied Renka.
"It's pretty damn important to me!" shouted Natsu.
"Whatever, I wanted to let you know that the Three Headed Dragon group that we fought in the DFOD are here at my restaurant," continued Renka, forging ahead.
"So? I care about that, why?" huffed Natsu.
"Well they were being pursued, so I brought them here, but... They are severely injured. They might not last any longer, and they said they wanted to meet you," lied Renka.
In the background, Kaku almost fell off his chair at this while Renka continued, "Yea, tonight might be their last night, so please hurry. Bye."
"What, again why do I-" started Natsu, only to hear Renka hanging up the phone.
"Well that was interesting," commented Sho, "And you still haven't explained the whole exhibitionist and pervert thing."
"And I'm never going to," huffed Natsu as he went to walk to his study, "And why are you still here?"
"Alright, I'm going," yawned Sho.
Just as Natsu opened the door for Sho to leave, Kaede appeared with a backpack on hand.
"Kaede? Is something wrong?" asked Natsu, only to quickly catch the backpack Kaede tossed him. He looked inside to see his Hermit uniform.
"Umm, why is thi-" began Natsu, only to be interrupted.
"You're going to Chinatown right now," ordered Kaede.
"Wait, why?" blinked Natsu in confusion.
"Because obviously Renka wants to see you!" chirped Kaede, "She's just shy and made up that story just to see you."
"Err...," hesitated Natsu, unsure of what to tell her, "Wait, were you listening to the conversation on the phone!?"
"Mr. Kano, you'll help my brother as his wingman and help him get there, right?" asked Kaede, ignoring her brother, "After all, you come here and eat dinner for free sometimes. It's only polite to return the favor, correct?"
Sho hesitated for a split second before noticing a demonic mask starting to form behind Kaede.
"Hai!" saluted Sho, grabbing Natsu by his wrist, "C'mon, we're going to Chinatown! I suddenly also have a craving for some Chinese food, and want you to come with me!"
"If you can, order some to go," asked Kaede politely as they left, Natsu trying to pull his wrist out of Sho's grip.
Flashback ends
"And that's how we're here," remarked Sho.
"Don't you dare laugh!" rumbled Natsu, seeing Kenichi's shoulder starting to shake.
"Is there anyone with you?" asked Kenichi, trying to divert the subject.
"Actually, yea. I called Tirawit to come too!" said Sho, "In fact, there he is!"
Natsu and Kenichi turned to see a disgruntled Tirawit walking towards them.
"Why did you call me to come?" asked Tirawit.
"Because it'd be more fun," stated Sho, "That, and I need someone to help me carry some takeout back to Natsu's little sister and Sogetsu-shifu."
Tirawit looked at Sho in disgust, debating on just turning around and heading back to base, when he noticed a pudgy man in an office suit while wearing glasses walking closer to them. Although the man seemed like an ordinary person, something seemed off about him. He noted that both Kenichi and Sho had already noted him, but acted as though nothing was wrong.
"Excuse me," started the office worker, his hands reaching over to Sho and Kenichi shoulders, who had somehow been standing next to each other.
Before the hands could go any further, both Sho and Kenichi grabbed each hand, and in one simultaneous movement, performed an overhand throw, tossing the pudgy man into a wall face first so hard that cracks formed upon impact.
"Oy, what the hell are you two doing?" shouted Natsu, "You can't... wait, something's off about this man."
As the man was slowly peeled off from the wall via gravity, he glared at the group.
"How did you know!? That I'm an assassin of the Black Tiger White Dragon Alliance, Chin Tai Li!" moaned the now named Chin, "I never expected a bunch of brats to be able to see through me. How very unexpected! But I'm not the only assassin here! The other person here is very much stronger than you all! He'll kill you all without hesitation!"
Having said his piece, Chin faded in unconsciousness.
"Well... looks like we're involved now," blinked Sho, "Honestly, all I got was bad vibes from him, and I hate it when someone tries to approach me from behind."
"Sho," sighed Tirawit in exasperation, "We might as well head over to your destination. It's better than staying here near the scene of the crime."
The others agreed, quickly heading to the Imperial Wrath restaurant. They never noticed another person on the roof of a building, staring down at them. On his hand was a birdcage with a Myna bird inside it.
"Ah, you came!" exclaimed Renka as she tackled Natsu. Renka was wearing a dress that had a very large window in the center to reveal her impressive chest size while also broadcasting that she wasn't wearing a bra. Luckily, the dress was tight enough that it acted as a support for her chest.
"Ho, guess this is what you mean when you carry her all the time," commented Sho with a snicker as Natsu tried to regain balance while trying to shove Renka off.
"Ah, Yomi! What are you doing here!?" hissed Renka, jumping off Natsu while getting into a fighting position.
"Just ordering take out," said Sho, "Heard this restaurant was good. He's with me."
Tirawit shrugged as Sho pointed him out, looking around the restaurant.
"Mmm fine, but you better not cause any trouble!" threatened Renka before noticing Kenichi was also here, "Kenichi, you also came! Were you worried about me?"
"A little," hummed Kenichi, "Are Kaku and the others alright?"
Renka quickly led them to Kaku and the others, who seemed rather scared that their old organization was still pursuing them even within the Phoenix Alliance territory in Japan. Each one of them were sporting injuries, with Kaku being the worst off as his right arm was in a cast due to a fracture in his ulna.
"I'm surprised that you were worried about us," said Yin Lin to Natsu.
"Who said I was worried? I could care less," huffed Natsu, "I was dragged here against my will."
"I'm not sure whether to be insulted or not," blinked Yo while a tick mark grew on Kaku's forehead.
Renka proclaimed that no matter who it was that they would be safe with Kenichi, Natsu, and her combined strength, to which Kaku countered that under the Shanghai branch where they used to live, there were masters said to be comparable to Ryozanpaku's masters and if any of them showed up, if not all of them, then they would be slaughtered.
"We've stayed here for far too long already," stated Kaku, giving a glance over to his friends, who nodded in agreement, "Geez, we can't entrust ourselves to those unreliable people! Let's go!"
It was easy to see that despite Kaku's mocking tone, he was worried about dragging the people who gave them temporary food and shelter into this.
Before they could leave, Kenichi stopped them, "I understand that you wouldn't want to involve us, but how far could you escape with those injuries?"
'Tch, he's sharp like his master,' thought Kaku in annoyance, thinking of Kensei, before replying, "Hmph, in order to survive, we would do anything. Remember, I still want Kensei's head. To simply put, we're your enemies. You just misunderstood-"
Kaku didn't get to finish his sentence as Kenichi suddenly pushed Kaku back hard into Yo, jumping back as he did so. Sho and Tirawit also quickly jumped back, their instincts blaring. Natsu and Renka followed, unsure what was happening but something in their mind also told them to move.
Seconds later, the wall Kenichi and Kaku had been standing next to exploded, a fury of fists blazing through it.
"Could that be Honshiken!?" gasped Kaku, already having an idea who had come to assassinate them.
"Look, isn't it just I said, Pisuke?" said a voice as the dust cleared up, "Just follow the brats to the target."
"Follow the brats, follow the brats," chirped Pisuke the Myna bird.
"It's really him! The Honshiken master! The man who's killed more than any plague, the human calamity, Kei Restumin!" panicked Kaku.
"Hoo, looks like the targets are behind me," commented Kei, glancing over at them, "But one of them was supposed to have died. I wonder who prevented that."
Kei saw a group of five more children, two of them a bit more separate from the other three before making a decision.
"I'll just kill them all," decided Kei, "Much more efficient.
"We're not involved in this," pointed out Tirawit.
"Doesn't matter," answered Kei.
"Doesn't matter, doesn't matter pii," chirped Pisuke, echoing Kei.
"Well that sucks," sighed Sho, "Honshiken... isn't that a Chinese martial art that's based on fast thrusts? Said to be 'intense as rain, faster than a whip?"
"Clearly an exaggeration when compared to Sogetsu," muttered Natsu.
"This man, Kei Restumin, has always been THE assassin of the Black Tiger White Dragon Alliance. When one of his targets hid in a village... instead of investigating or asking where his target's hideout was, he killed all the people in the village without mercy. That's why we call him the human calamity! He has killed more people than any plague!" shouted Kaku.
"That's a huge over-exaggeration," said Natsu with his eyebrow twitching at that.
Choju Giga bunnies hopped through as everyone became silent. Even Kei himself stood still at that.
"You're telling me that man has supposedly wiped out at the very least, 30% of the human population? He's killed 100 million people? I find that hard to believe. The black plague was one of the most devastating plagues, and he's claiming he's killed more than that?" accused Sho.
"Well... I mean...," stuttered Kaku.
"So he kills everything in sight. That's not much bragging rights," retorted Tirawit, "Who even started calling him that? Did he call himself that and asked other people to do so?"
Kei's forehead started to slowly crease as more tick marks appeared while sweatdrops appeared on Kaku, Yin Lin, and Yo.
"Ah, I remember now!" exclaimed Sho as he bopped his fist on his other hand, "My master told me about Kei before. Said that he was inefficient, brutish, and devoid of any style!"
While Sho had learned a few basics of Honshiken from Ro Jisei, Ro had commented about Kei being one of the users of such a style. Hongo had been sitting in the same room before commenting on how Kei was not a good example to use. Hongo prided himself in efficiency, and refused to kill those who weren't martial artists or willing to bet their life in a fight. Hongo had a code of honor similar to Kenichi, wishing not to fight women, but if the said woman wanted to fight, then he would fight them.
Still, Hongo disliked Kei and people of similar personalities to him because he viewed such massacres without warning or reason as dishonorable and distasteful.
"I was planning to deal with you with one arm," started Kei slowly as he put the birdcage on top of his head, "But now, I'm going to kill all of you with both arms! Then I'll kill your pathetic masters!"
Before he could initiate, he felt a monstrous Ki appear, causing him to pause. Kei slowly looked towards the source to see Kenichi with his arms raised, his eyes flowing with Ki. Kenichi was using Ki no Shouka, ready to fight for his life and others. He was also using Ryusui Seikuken already.
'Impossible? A master at his age?' thought Kei before narrowing his eyes, 'No... not yet, but he's closing in on that rank. Perhaps I should spare this one and take him back to China with me. If we do this right, he could be the one that will catapult our organization to the top and overthrow the damn Phoenix Alliance.'
"Now's our chance!" said Yo, pointing over to Natsu and the others, "We can regroup-"
"No don't!" shouted Renka, "Don't move!"
Kaku and the others obeyed at hearing Renka's panicked voice just in time to see several fists impact the ground in front of them. Renka began explaining the attack trail patterns, though she was amazed at the fact Kenichi was somehow preventing Kei's attack trails from attacking them. Though in her eyes, Kei's attack didn't seem too focused on killing them, but rather disabling Kenichi.
"You mean Shirahama is protecting us?" asked Natsu with an annoyed tone. Every time he felt like he was slowly catching up to Kenichi, a whole new level would suddenly seem to appear.
"Yea, but he's losing the pattern," gulped Renka as she saw the attack trails slowly closing in on Kenichi while the attack trails from Kenichi began to disappear.
Suddenly, Sho and Tirawit walked up next to Kenichi before assuming fighting positions against Kei, each of them dodging the attack trails before opening up their own. Sho was on the left while Tirawit was on the right.
"What are you doing?" hissed Kenichi.
"This man is a threat," said Tirawit as his eyes began to analyze the situation, "Even if we were to ignore you, he would still try to kill us. Our victory lies in teaming up... no matter how distasteful it is to me."
"I can't let him insult my master like that," huffed Sho, "Plus, I value my life thank you."
"I'm not one to be protected," growled Natsu as he stomped forward, carefully navigating through the attack trails. He could barely see them, but it was enough.
"Idiots! You'll all die!" shouted Yin Lin.
"We'd die if we didn't do anything anyway," said Renka as she also marched forward, "You three are too injured. The attack trails are now focused on us. Back up and see if you can't get some help. Escort any of our employees still in here to safety."
"Grr, fine! Don't die on our account!" shouted Kaku as they slowly back away.
"Foolish children," lectured Kei, "All you're doing is dooming others who'll get in my way. Perhaps this town will become a ghost town once I'm done."
"I won't let you hurt anyone anymore," growled Kenichi.
"My master would be so disappointed in you," added Sho.
Slowly but surely, the five of them began to approach Kei.
"Hey, we should aim for his head. No way he can dodge properly with that birdcage on him," whispered Sho.
Tirawit had been ready to agree with that when Kenichi shook his head.
"No. The birdcage is there for a reason," stated Kenichi, "It limits his speed. Take that off, he gets faster and will probably kill us."
"Hoo, so you noticed," remarked Kei, "I put this birdcage on my head as a detector because moving at high speeds is harmful to my body. Of course, when I get serious, I crush the cage, and so that's why you are Pisuke #17."
"You jerk," hissed Renka.
"That's it, I'm going to kill this punk," growled Sho, the statement having hit a nerve. He loved birds and seeing a rare bird that was on the protected list in a cage rattled him. To hear that Kei had killed 17 of the same class, possibly the same species, angered him even more. Birds were meant to fly freely in the sky!
"I suppose before I kill most of you, I'll give you the chance to tell me your names," premised Kei.
"Most of us?" asked Renka.
"I'm planning to take that brat back with me to the Black Tiger White Dragon organization. If we mold him right, then we'll take the top easily in a few years time," said Kei.
'What is it with masters wanting to kidnap me?' thought Kenichi before introducing himself, "Shirahama Kenichi, disciple of all of Ryozanpaku!"
"Ma Renka, daughter of the Phoenix Alliance!"
"Natsu, disciple of Ma Sogestsu."
"Kano Sho, disciple of Akira Hongo and others in Yami, leader of Yomi!"
"Tirawit Kokin, disciple of Agaard Jum Sai of Yami, also part of Yomi. And Sho, you're not the leader anymore, remember?"
"Satomi is only a temporary leader, remember!? I'm still the leader as soon as this is done," barked Sho in annoyance.
As Kei took in the names, two struck him in rage. He was familiar with Yami, as any underground martial artist would be. His organization had had some dealings with Yami before, both with and against them. He also knew of Ryozanpaku, the dojo Yami had declared war against. The ones that made him shake in rage though were Renka's name and just exactly who Natsu's master was.
"Ma Sogetsu!? You, girl, are you related to him?" barked Kei.
"He's my good for nothing uncle that I'll bring to justice someday," replied Renka.
Soon, both Renka and Natsu felt the full brunt of Kei's Ki and killing intent focused on them.
"Finally... If I can't kill him, then I kill his niece and disciple!" roared Kei as he took up the bird cage, "I'll go full power!"
'Great, another grudge against you that I have to deal with,' Natsu cursed mentally.
Before Kei could crush the cage and Pisuke #17, which was squawking in fear now, Sho went on the move.
SeiDou Gouitsu
Using the forbidden technique, Sho dashed forward, kicking Kei's arm to prevent him from crushing the cage before grabbing it, quickly leaping back to dodge a punch.
"There's no reason to kill a bird!" shouted Sho, quickly turning off the technique. According to Ogata, using the move in a small burst wouldn't deal irreparable damage to the body. Still, it hurt a lot as his joints and muscles twinged in pain.
"Idiot, you used that move for such a trivial thing?" remarked Tirawit.
"Die!"
Kei fired a barrage of punches at the five of them.
Kenichi quickly stepped forward, unconsciously making Kei mark him as the primary target. Then, while using Ryusui Seikuken, Kenichi began to parry and dodge the punches as best he could. Sho and Tirawit stepped up, making him the secondary target, and began to also do the same. What they didn't know was that Kei was very slightly pulling his punches on them. He wanted Kenichi, and he didn't want to cause too much trouble against Yami. Renka and Natsu quickly moved to the side, hoping to get behind to attack Kei.
Kei glared at them and began to shift his punches towards Natsu. As soon as he did so, though, it allowed Sho to step forward closer to Kei. Kei quickly shifted his attention back to the trio, but due to the disruption in his own timing, Tirawit and Kenichi managed to also close in.
Renka and Natsu got behind Kei and charged forward when they saw the attack trails heading right to their heads.
"Dodge!" shouted Renka as she pushed Natsu to the right while jumping left, narrowly dodging two sharp kicks to the face that might have caved in their heads if hit.
"That was Tatsukyaku," warned Renka as she rolled back up, "Be careful, that sort of cuts easily."
"Yea, I know," blustered Natsu as he pushed himself up, "You don't need to..."
Natsu trailed off when he turned his head to glare at Renka, only to notice that she was suffering a wardrobe malfunction. Kei's kick had indeed been sharp as it had cut one of Renka's straps on her skimpy Chinese dress, revealing her bare left breast to Natsu, nipple included.
Renka blinked as she noticed Natsu quickly turning his head away while also trailing off. She also felt like there was a cold breeze blowing her left chest, one that was certainly causing her nipple to slowly stiffen. She looked down before realizing that her left chest was bare.
"Kyaa, pervert!" screamed Renka, covering her chest with her hand without much success due to her size. At least she could cover the nipples, though.
"The hell you looking at me for that exhibitionist!" retorted Natsu, "Pull up that shirt or get something to cover up!"
"Will the tsundere couple stop arguing and help fight!" shouted Sho, narrowly dodged a punch.
"We're not a couple!" shouted Natsu and Renka.
Before Renka could try to figure out how to fight without exposing herself too much, Natsu had tossed her his cloak.
"Wrap that around your chest or wear it, I don't care," said Natsu as he got back up, "Or just stay back safely. We can handle this."
"Hmph, I'm not staying back in this fight. I'm not some helpless maiden!" huffed Renka as she stood up. She had half contemplated on just fighting, ignoring the fact she was half-naked. Quite a few people had done so before, and it wasn't as if the opponent would stop fighting just to preserve her dignity. It was an easy way to get killed if she was worried about flashing in the middle of a fight.
However, since Natsu had already offered his cloak to her, she might as well use it.
"You better not use this cloak for your own personal time," hissed Renka as she wrapped it around her chest like a chest binding.
"Like hell I will. You can keep it for yourself, I have others," stated Natsu before thinking about it for a second, "On second thought, I'm burning that cloak after you're done with it, there's no way I'm letting you keep that!"
"I must agree with Sho, you two are a tsundere couple," remarked Tirawit while jumping over a punch.
"Shut up!" shouted both of them.
'Almost have them!' thought Kei as he saw them tiring, ignoring how fast he was going despite how 'harmful' it was to his body. It was then a sudden jab of pain hit him in the arm. The source was from Sho's earlier kick, infused with both Sei and Dou Ki that removed his limits when he saved the bird.
The sudden disruption in timing gave the small opening that Kenichi quickly exploited.
With a fierce jump, Kenichi launched a knee attack to Kei's .
Geimon Teppi
Kei quickly crossed both arms in front of him to block the attack, successfully stopping Kenichi from caving his face. By doing so, however, he left his sides open for Tirawit and Sho, which they capitalized by throwing a Muay Thai body kick into the ribs from both sides, squishing him in.
Kei felt his ribs groan in pain as he coughed out the air being squeezed out of his lungs. By doing so, his arms slacked down a little. Kenichi exploited this by kicking his right arm down to the side while grabbing the left arm, dragging it down to Kei's side as Kenichi landed.
As if reading Kenichi's mind, Sho grabbed the right arm, pulling it down to the side the same as Kenichi did, leaving Kei open.
Tirawit immediately jumped forward, his right knee already swinging down.
Yan Erw-
Tirawit didn't complete the technique as Kei immediately lashed out with a stabbing kick. Tirawit immediately blocked it with his forearms crossed, but the impact sent him flying away into a wall.
Kenichi and Sho weren't dissuaded by this, though. Right as Kei kicked, Kenichi and Sho adjusted their grips, pulled as they took several steps forward, and judo flipped Kei right into the ground. Kei, having only one leg on the ground while the other in the air, had no time to try to stop the flip and landed on his back hard.
Kenichi and Sho still had a firm grip on Kei's wrist, preventing him from protecting his chest and opening him up for the next attack.
凤凰邮票 (Phoenix Stamp)
Renka and Natsu came rushing in from the air, landing a twin stomp onto Kei's chest. They would've aimed for the head, but the risk of him dodging by moving his head to the side or just rising up was too much, especially on a master. Better to ensure a better chance of landing something than not.
Kei felt like his chest had caved in, but he had enough. No more holding back! Screw Yami and screw bringing the kid back, they were all dead!
Kei forcefully brought his arms back a little, bringing Sho and Kenichi forward with his elbows bent. Then, in one swift moment, Kei extended his arms out forcefully. The movement exceeded both Sho and Kenichi's grip, allowing his fist to sink deeply into both Sho and Kenichi's gut. Both boys coughed out pain as they were sent flying into opposing walls.
"Die!" roared Kei as Renka and Natsu quickly jumped off, dodging his swipe.
Natsu quickly ducked under another swipe, landing two loose penetrating thrusts into Kei's stomach, readying the third thrust for Kyousa, when Kei managed to kick him away.
As Natsu coughed out in pain, he yelled out, "Renka, do it!"
"Got it Natsu!" shouted Renka as she charged in from under Natsu's body. With a final step that cracked the ground upon the step, she slammed the last penetrating thrust at the center of Kei's body.
"Useless!" roared Kei as he backhanded Renka away, causing her to yelp as she hit the ground hard, "You die now bi-"
Kei didn't get to finish as the effects of Kyousa took hold, causing him to spit out blood in pain as his knees buckled and falling onto them.
"Did we get him?" coughed Sho as he stood back up.
"Don't know," replied Kenichi as he also stood up, "We can't let our guard down."
The moment Kenichi said that, Kei sprang towards the still dazed Renka with a crazed look in his eyes.
"Renka!" shouted Kenichi as he began to run forward. Sho and Tirawit did the same, not knowing why they were doing so. Renka was technically the enemy, so why help her?
Natsu, who was the closest, was already standing over Renka, ready to protect her as Kei came closer.
Before anyone could do anything really, the wall next to them exploded.
"APA!" shouted Apachai as he punched through the wall and sent Kei tumbling away.
"Apachai!" shouted Kenichi joyfully.
"Apapa, sorry Kenichi-san! I got lost until these three found me!" yelled Apachai, pointing to Kaku and the others, who had appeared.
"How'd you know he's with me?" asked Kenichi.
"He was out on the streets yelling your name, not hard to make the connection," scoffed Kaku, looking over at the slowly erupting Kei, "Geez, can't believe you guys are still alive."
"I've had enough of this!" roared Kei as his anger erupted like a volcano, "I am the Human Calamity! All will die before me!"
Honshi Hasenda
A barrage of fist much more powerful and faster than his earlier attacks were all sent flying to Apachai.
"APAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPA!"
A fury of punches much faster and stronger than Kei's punches all flew towards Kei. In his eyes, Apachai's punches seemed to be 10 times bigger and faster than his, with Apachai's eyes glowing with Ki. In that second only one thought crossed Kei's mind.
'Oh Shit, this isn't going to end well.'
Kei's punches were knocked out from Apachai's punches, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't block for long until a punch landed on his face. This was swiftly followed by several more, forcing Kei back more and more until he was flat on his back. But still, Apachai's punch kept going.
"Ow..." commented Renka as her hair drooped down, wincing at each impact.
Kenichi couldn't bear to see the continuing punishment.
"Whoa!" shouted Yo in fear.
"Gwah!" yelped Kaku nervously.
"Iyaah!" screamed Yin Lin as she covered her eyes.
"Much as I like to see him beaten up, this might be a bit much," gulped Natsu as he watched the scene of carnage.
"I don't know whether I should be scared or excited about this," said Sho as he numbly watched the punishment, "I mean, for some reason, I'm leaning more towards terrified."
"I will... have to revise my assessment of Khru Agaard's opinion of Apachai Hopachai," noted Tirawit. In regards to Apachai, Tirawit had always believed that Agaard had been exaggerating when he said that Apachai didn't know how to hold back, considering Apacahi was a Katsujinken fighter. Now, he was believing that Agaard had understated that part.
"APAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAAPAPAPAPAPAAPAPAPAPAPAAPAPAPAPAPAAPAPAPAPAPAAPAPAP!"
Apachai continued to wail on Kei all over his body so much that the kids believed they had to be hallucinating when thick kanji words appeared over Apachai's head, yet they couldn't get it out of their mind.
Death God of Muay Thai Underground
Soon, Apachai kicked Kei up into the air, but only because the ground was starting to crack under his barrage.
"Yaba daba doo!" shouted Apachai as he finished it off with a devastating uppercut, sending Kei flying out of the restaurant entrance, blowing the door off its hinges.
"Secret Technique! The punch you don't let good children see!" declared Apachai, his eyes still glowing with an ominous light.
Despite that, all the children with exception to Kenichi due to time travel saw it.
Upon seeing Kei Restumin unconscious, none of the other members of the Black Tiger White Dragon Alliance that had come with him on the mission dared to attack. Instead, they dragged his body away, looking back at Apachai in fear as they hurried along.
Pisuke, the bird, flew around Sho as he released him from the cage before landing on top of Apachai's head, cawing "Apapapa!"
"Apa. He left his companion behind," pointed out Apachai.
"Well let's let him fly free in the sky," suggested Sho.
"Apa, he's lived in a domestic area for so long that if we release him to the wild, he won't live for long. Especially since this specific bird is the Bali Myna bird, a critically endangered species with the wild population close to extinction. This species isn't native to Japan, so it's best to keep it as a pet for its own safety and well-being until a more suitable environment is available," explained Apachai.
"I... wha... huh," stammered Natsu, unable to comprehend this man child explaining something like this in so much detail.
"He probably got that off an animal documentary that he's always watching, but it's still impressive nonetheless," whispered Kenichi.
"Apapa, I'd take care of it, but I'm too busy while Kenichi is also in the midst of battling Yami/Yomi. I don't know if we could take care of it, especially since we already have Noir and Tochumaru," pondered Apachai before making a decision, "You guys look after him!"
"Eh? Us?" blinked Kaku in surprise as did his friends when they saw Apachai's finger pointing at them, "We're not obligated to help you, just because you got rid of one of our pursuers!"
"It looks tasty!" stammered Yo.
"We're on the run right now! How are we supposed to look after that bird?" shot out Yin Lin with an excuse.
"There's no need to worry," stated Ma Ryo aka Hakubei as he suddenly appeared, "You three are called the Three Headed Dragon, right?"
A few lamp lights reflected off of his shiny dome, temporarily blinding the trio for a second before Ryo continued, "You no longer need to run away. From now on, you three are going to live and work here, at my restaurant."
"Wha-?" stuttered the confused trio.
"Even though I was a bit careless and left for a while... From now on, if one or two masters at his level show up, I can handle them, so don't worry," stated Ryo, flaring his Ki to show he wasn't kidding around.
Hope began to arise among the trio until Ryo also convinced (read threatened) them to stay to pay for the damages done in the restaurant due to sheltering them. Of course, the reality was most of the damage was done by Apachai, but Ryo pushed that fact aside. He was also explaining that with this, it also allowed them to get an education while staying safe, allowing them to expand on their future.
"And speaking of masters..," stated Ryo, snapping his fingers.
Instantly, a Zanshin Taisha-ryuu member appeared next to Ryo.
"Why weren't any of you here? I'm sure I hired you guys to protect this area," stated Ryo with a displeased tone.
"Apologies, but today is the day that all of our members gather to give thanks to our ancestors who made this dojo. We did warn you that we wouldn't be available," stated the ninja.
"I see... so in this case, just a coincidence," mumbled Ryo.
"Apapa, we should get going," said Apachai as he started to walk away before noticing Tirawit.
Apachai changed direction, walking towards Tirawit, who warily stepped back once before standing still, looking up at Apachai. He never realized that Apachai seemed to match Agaard's height.
As Tirawit looked at Apachai with wary caution, Apachai's next action stunned him.
"Apapa, Agaard was always good at teaching," grinned Apachai as he bent down to look at him, face to face. while patting his head, "You look pretty strong for your age."
"Clearly not as strong as your disciple," muttered Tirawit.
"Apapa, that's a special case because he ti-" started Apachai, only for Kenichi to quickly cover his mouth.
"Apachai, that's not something you're supposed to say!" whispered Kenichi into Apachai's ear, "If you say another word, then I'll tell Miu not to make hamburger steak for a month!"
"Apapa, sorry," apologized Apachai, "Please don't tell Miu!"
As Kenichi managed to drag Apachai away, Tirawit couldn't help but remember another description that Agaard had described Apachai. That he was a man child, a gentle giant, a walking contradiction.
"Let's get back to base," said Sho, wincing as he poked his ribs, "I think we're going to need some time to heal."
Natsu sighed as he looked at the restaurant. He had been debating on buying some Chinese food for dinner since Kaede said she wanted it, but the only real good place was the restaurant that had pretty much been destroyed.
"Yen for your thoughts?" asked Renka.
"I have to find another place to buy Chinese food, Kaede wanted some tonight," huffed Natsu.
"Ah, no worries!" grinned Renka as she quickly went in the restaurant before coming out with a few takeout boxes.
She opened it in front of him to reveal some meat buns, fried rice, and sweet and sour chicken.
"We had these ready for somebody else, but they canceled their order. Since it's going nowhere, you might as well take them."
Natsu hesitated for a bit before taking them, grabbing a 5000 yen bill and dropping it on Renka's hand.
"Keep the change," stated Natsu as he turned to leave, only to feel Renka suddenly hug him from behind.
"Thanks for helping," said Renka, "You're still a pervert, though."
"And you're still an exhibitionist," retorted Natsu.
"Didn't you say my name in the fight?" grinned Renka.
"Did I? I don't recall," denied Natsu.
"You so did! C'mon, say my name again," demanded Renka.
"Get off me you damn exhibitionist, unless you really want that cloak of mine to fall off your chest!"
"Aha! You do want to see it, don't you? I knew it!"
"Forget it, I'm leaving!" shouted Natsu as he ran off.
Renka giggled as she walked back into the restaurant, going up the stairs and into her room to grab some clothes to shower. As she did so, she remembered that Natsu's cloak was still wrapped around her chest. She took it off, staring at the said cloak, as if mesmerized by it. She could remember Natsu standing above her, trying to protect her from the desperate Kei. Before she knew it, she had drawn the cloak close to her body, her nose inhaling the scent from the cloak.
"Kya, what am I doing!?" screamed Renka as she pushed the cloak away from her, "I'm throwing this away!"
She raised her hand, as if to throw it into the trash bin, when she stopped. Before long, she gently placed the cloak down into the washing bin instead.
"I'll just return it to him another day," muttered Renka as she stripped her clothes off, ready to shower.
However, she never did return the cloak, keeping it in her room.
High above the streets of Chinatown
"It looks like they didn't need our help after all," chucked Ma Kensei, "Curious how we're actually here together and not fighting, isn't it, brother?"
"Hmph," scoffed Ma Sogetsu as he sipped his wine.
Both brothers were looking over at the Imperial Wrath restaurant, having witnessed the whole fight from beginning to end.
The reason that they were there was for one reason. One very important reason. One feminine reason.
Kaede had asked Sogetsu to bring her there to spy on her brother and Renka. Kensei had been involved because today had also been an appointment day for Kaede's checkup. With Sogetsu taking her there, Natsu wasn't too worried about anyone trying to harm Kaede. It was why Kensei had been at the hospital today, to do a few scans and check up on Kaede's lungs, to make sure it was healthy. The appointment time was a few minutes after Natsu and Sho had left, and with Sogetsu taking her, the journey to the hospital had taken mere minutes.
After the check-up, Kaede managed to guilt Kensei into coming with her, stating that she wanted the two brothers there, too. Unable to really deny her request, both of them had taken Kaede to Chinatown via running. By the time they got there, though, Kaede had fallen asleep, snuggling into Sogetsu's warm back. So currently, Kaede was napping on Sogetsu's lap with a coat over her.
"So, Kei Restumin... Did you know him? He seems to be holding a grudge against you," remarked Kensei.
"Hmm...," hummed Sogetsu, taking another sip of his wine before tossing his bottle at Kensei, allowing him to take a sip, "I don't remember the name, but I remember the style and his face. It was years ago, shortly after I left the Phoenix Alliance. I was in a small village in China enjoying my wine and snack when he attacked the village. Apparently one of his targets was in the same village, and instead of investigating, he started killing everyone. I wouldn't have cared except for three things. He attacked the restaurant I was in that served good food. He attacked the restaurant I was in that served good wine. And lastly, his first punches were aimed at me."
"I'm surprised he's still alive," snickered Kensei.
"I was in a good mood," shrugged Sogetsu, "I kicked him out and went back to eating. I got to eat for free that day, too. He was lucky his target had been the third person he killed before going after me, otherwise, the Black Tiger White Dragon Alliance might have killed him for failure."
"Mmm," moaned Kaede from her place, causing the brothers to freeze up before she snuggled into Sogetsu once more.
"I believe it's time we take young Kaede back home now," suggested Kensei.
"Yea, don't want to let the other brat know we were watching," nodded Sogetsu, gently cradling her bridal style.
The two brothers disappeared in a flash, running back towards their own homes.
Yomi base
Tirawit and Sho were on beds, recovering from the injuries they had gotten. Besides the bruised ribs, both of them were sporting bruises on their arms and legs from attempting to parry or dodge Kei's punches. Tirawit had fractures on his arm from blocking the kick directly.
"Are you two alright?" asked Hongo as he stormed into the room, followed by Agaard. Both had taken a helicopter to see if they were alright when they reported fighting a master from the Black Tiger White Dragon Alliance.
"Yep, just fine!" grinned Sho with a cheer, only to wince at his attempt at doing so.
"Kokin, mind filling us on the details?" asked Agaard.
The two Yomi members hadn't been able to give the full details about the fight over the phone as the two masters ran out of the room when they heard they had been injured.
Tirawit nodded as he began to describe the events leading up to the fight and the aftermath, with Sho supplying some information every now and then.
"I see," said Hongo, already mentally ticking Kei's name on his 'To kill' list. The fact the distasteful assassin would try to kill Sho even when they mentioned they had no association with his target and were from Yami just because it was an 'easier' path ticked him off.
"Well, you two did well against a master class," hummed Agaard, "And I see Apachai is still strong as ever. That's good. Looks like our time for our showdown is approaching. Though it looks like he still can't hold back!"
As Agaard was about to leave, he felt someone pull on his pants. Looking back, he looked at Tirawit in surprise.
"Was there something else?" asked Agaard.
"In regards to training... I have a request," pleaded Tirawit, "I want you not to hold back."
"Hold back?" asked Agaard in puzzlement, "I don't think I've been holding you back on training."
"No, what I mean, is that when you spar with me, go all out with the intent of killing me," stated Tirawit.
"Kokin... why would you ask that of me?" asked Agaard in shock.
"I believe that is one of the ways Shirahama Kenichi became so strong," declared Tirawit, "You yourself have said that Apachai doesn't know how to hold back that well, and that it was quite a miracle that his disciple was still alive and training with him. I will admit I thought you were exaggerating that part, but after witnessing him fight, my analysis was wrong. At the same time, I also pondered how Shirahama Kenichi was still alive if he trained under him. Which leads me to the conclusion that he must train under such terrifying circumstances each time, training under the threat of death, or rather close to death."
"Add to the fact that he seems to be able to recover quite quickly is most likely due to the fact Ryozanpaku has two prominent doctors to accelerate his recovery. Here, at Yami, we also have access to the latest medical technology that aids in recovery. So if I am to catch up to him, then I must train under the same circumstances," concluded Tirawit.
Agaard could only stare at his disciple before bellowing in laughter at his disciple's request. Truly, he had never expected this.
"Of course! After you've recovered from the fracture, then we'll start training right away! I'll have to try to adjust the power of my attacks to the point they'll almost kill you, but if Apachai can do it, so can I!" declared Agaard as he began to leave the medical bay, "Be ready for a lot of trips to the med bay!"
Tirawit nodded as he turned to Sho, "I'll be transferring myself out of Koryo High. If you wouldn't mind turning in my paperwork for me?"
"Sure," shrugged Sho before turning to Hongo, "Should I also..."
Hongo shook his head. Koryo High was turning out to be a good place for Sho as his training had gone up in leaps and bounds. Despite Kuremisago breathing down his neck, demanding him to remove Sho from such a plebian high school or terminating him as a disciple, Hongo continued to ignore them. They had already sent an assassin after him, and that didn't turn out well for them. If they were smart, they wouldn't pursue any more forceful actions.
"As you were," stated Hongo as he left. He had some more important business to attend to, such as crushing a known Black Tiger White Dragon Alliance base to show them the error of their ways.
Soon, it was only the two of them left in the bay. Sho glanced around before turning to Tirawit.
"Spill," ordered Sho, "There was one more thing you wanted to say, right?"
Tirawit sighed as he looked at Sho, "Did ever feel normal to fight alongside Shirahama?"
"Err besides the fact that we're on opposite sides, not really, why?" blinked Sho.
"That's the problem," pointed out Tirawit, much to Sho's confusion, "When I fought with Boris and Ethan, we couldn't work together that well. Yet when we fought with Shirahama, our coordination was far superior despite never having fought each other before, let alone work together. I doubt he's witnessed any of our fights either."
"Eh, maybe it's because we all used the same martial arts?" suggested Sho.
"Perhaps, but it shouldn't explain everything," denied Tirawit, "It's like he knew our specific style."
"Huh. Maybe it's just a special case?" suggested Sho, not really believing his own statement.
"Another mystery on Shirahama," muttered Tirawit.
"If you're transferring... then does that mean you've given up on that?" asked Sho.
Tirawit felt a muscle twitch on his forehead before replying, "It is merely put on hold. I will out-analyze that girl in the future!"
At another location
Kushinada had obliterated another jiujitsu group, stating her style was the only one needed. Of course, her opponents could hardly believe the Kushinada style still existed, much less believe the Kushinada Mikumo that stood before them was the same legend. She was quite ticked off when someone asked her old she was.
"Chikage, are you paying attention?" asked Kushinada as she tossed another opponent.
"Yes sensei," nodded Chikage, grabbing an offending arm and tossing her opponent into the ground.
"Good," nodded Kushinada.
For some reason though, Kushinada couldn't help but feel that Chikage would have her mind wandering off about something. She had more than once caught Chikage with a pouty face, though she wasn't quite sure where the origin of such a face came from. She had thought it was from Koryo High, but it wasn't quite right. Also, she had noticed Chikage seemed to be reading more and more about Mah Jong and Othello.
Still, she wasn't going to lecture Chikage about it. Everyone had their own vice, and she would be hypocritical if she didn't enjoy a game of Mah Jong every now and then. It was at least better than her usual stash of sweets she liked to read about, as those games exercised the mind.
At the very least, she would ask her disciple more about it later when the time became appropriate.
Yomi armed division base
"So, enjoying your time at Koryo High?" asked Hyogo Ito, the unofficial leader of the Yomi armed divisions that were disciples of the Eight Shining Executioner Blades. He was the disciple of Seitaro Raigou, along with Yui Sayama. (Not to be confused with Yui that Rin rescued.)
"It is going fine," replied Hayase, "Elfreda seems to be enjoying herself there."
"Oh, I heard she joined the archery club there. At least she gets to still practice while in school. But lately, I've seen her in a bit of a bad mood now and then. Any reason why?"
"Probably because she's on her period," laughed Sigmaringen, the disciple of the Scythe wielder Mihai Stirbey.
"Not funny," scolded Sayama as she slapped Sigmaringen on the head.
"Bitch, you want to die!?" growled Sigmaringen, swinging his scythe.
"Enough," ordered Hyogo, "You were out of line there, Sigmaringen."
"Feh, fine," scoffed Sigmaringen, "You guys have no sense of humor."
"Your humor is uncouth," replied Shera, disciple of Raki Hoshinano.
"So what's the sitch with Ryozanpaku's strongest disciple?" asked Hygo, "Are those Yami/Yomi people from the unarmed division exaggerating the whole thing?"
"From what I've gotten at first glance... I'm not sure," answered Hayase, "Shirahama Kenichi is a conundrum to which I have yet to figure out. He is also the reason why Elfreda has been rather touchy lately."
"Oh geez, did she ask him out only to be shot down?" joked Hyogo, this time only to be slapped on the head from Sayama.
"Unsure, but from what I've heard, Shirahama is reasonably talented in archery despite having never touched a bow before," answered Hayase.
"Ah, and she feels insulted," nodded Hyogo.
"But alas, if he does not prepare, then he will be woefully struck down," stated Albrecht, disciple of Edeltraft von Schiller. The Yomi members were happy that they could still understand Albrecht, unlike his master, but knew it would be a matter of time before he inherited his master's round-about poetic statements. They were not looking forward to that.
"Well, any idea what weapon he uses?" asked Hyogo.
"If he is training under Kosaka Shigure, then he will become well-versed in all weapons like she is," theorized Hayase, "But for now, it is unknown, though there have been rumors of a one sided meteor hammer."
"And if we want more information, we'll have to ask the unarmed division," groaned Hyogo, "Whatever, I'm sure we'll find out later. Then we'll show him that we are the strongest."
Finish with the Chinatown Arc! I had a bit of fun writing this one, especially with Apachai. Next time, who will be the one to fight Kenichi!? What will happen! Is that a boat?
Hope everyone is staying safe!
Also wrote a P4/5 crossover for fun
