.
*THUD* Kazuya was thrown into the floor. Kurumi was let go as well and she immediately went towards Kazuya and helped him sit up. The two of them looked at the young man who was arrogantly looking at Kazuya wearing a sinister smile.
"We meet again brother. Look at you, why do you look so pitiful? Who dared to hurt my brother?" he grinned while looking at his subordinates.
"It was me young master" the scarred man stepped up. "This kid wouldn't accept your invitation peacefully and even had the gall to hurl insults at us.
"I see… good work! I'll give you a little bonus later" Lee stood up from his chair and slowly approached the two.
"Heh, as I expected, it's you" Kazuya scoffed. He wasn't really that hurt, even though he did sustain some damage from the kicks he received earlier, it was almost already healed up.
"So what if it's me? Wasn't I someone who abused you to the point that you lost your memory?" Lee gave him a kick without warning and threw him a few steps backward where he crashed on a set of desks. "Shouldn't I play the part well?"
"Stop! Don't hurt him!" Kurumi tried to come between the two of them but she was slapped aside by Lee.
"Who's the girl?" Lee didn't give her a second look and watched Kazuya slowly walking towards the foreign looking girl. He finally felt good after a long while.
"We don't know. He was holding her hand when we cornered them and we couldn't risk her telling people so we brought her along" the scarred man answered.
"Holding her hand eh?" Lee looked at the two of them.
"Please don't try to do anything. I'm sorry you got hurt but this will all be over soon" Kazuya tried to comfort this girl who got dragged along with him. Her cheek already had a mark that was caused by Lee and he felt guilty about it. He did promise to protect her after all.
"Oh? You still have the balls to reassure someone in this situation little brother? You sure have the talent of telling lies"
"Lies? Sending these men to kidnap me, kicking me, rewarding them for hurting me, where are the lies you're talking about? Don't play the victim 'Hashiyama' Lee. Your hypocrisy makes me laugh" Kazuya stood up straight and looked straight into Lee's eyes. He showed no fear which irked his former older brother.
"You bastard! You were the one who spouted nonsense after you lost your memory! I haven't done anything and even went along with your boring hobbies!" Lee angrily shouted as he grabbed Kazuya's chest and pulled him up.
"What nonsense did I spout? You only got along with me because you coveted my mother's company so that you could increase your value with the Kuroganes?" Kazuya retorted. "Besides, you're the bastard here. I clearly have the blood of both the Kouzuki family and the Kurogane bloodline while you're just a stray dog that was picked up because they saw a disposable dog with some talent"
*BAM* Lee punched Kazuya's stomach and threw him to the ground. It was easy for him since he was bigger than him.
Kazuya landed near the feet of the men who blocked any path to retreat. They cared little about what was happening since their only concern is the money they would be receiving after the job was over. Some of them even stopped Kurumi from going over to him.
"Let's see if you'll still have that smart mouth of yours after I'm done with you"
"Heh… you really are as pathetic as I thought you were. A pig like you dares to have designs for my big sis? Ptui!" Kazuya spat blood at Lee's shoes.
"I'll f*cking kill you!" Lee reached from behind and pointed a handgun towards Kazuya who already knew that he concealed such a weapon.
-
"BEGIN!" The third and final round had finally begun. Both competitors did not move after the signal had been given.
Tomoyo knew that Ayame's original and most preferred style was to counter-attack. Despite the differences both of them had, the way they approached this match was very similar. Tomoyo was now a lot more careful after being counterattacked quickly in the previous round. Both of them tested themselves against each other.
The special training Tomoyo received these past few days was very different from her previous ones. The instructors focused on her while Jirou had spent his time with Kazuya. She would then receive tips from the boy until she fell asleep when he stayed in her room.
The Shiroyuki style wasn't an aggressive style like most people were led to believe. It was a well-rounded style that was meant to be learned by various individuals where each individual can bring out their full potential by focusing on what they were most proficient at.
However, people like Tomoyo and Kazuya were amongst the exceptions to this because of their talent. They had the qualifications to learn and practice all of them because their potential deemed it so. This was why there were different classes in the Shiroyuki dojo. Even the instructors were separated as such.
They all knew that both Kazuya and Tomoyo would eventually meet with Ayame somewhere in the tournament so Tomoyo had to prepare in the event that they would actually meet again because Ayame wouldn't be taken by surprise again. Tomoyo's style was clearly very straightforward and against an enemy like Ayame who had the same abilities and was proficient in counterattacking, she was clearly at a disadvantage.
"(This…)" Ayame clearly noticed the stance Tomoyo took. This was her forte so how could she not notice?
The two of them moved slowly towards each other. Inch by inch, those watching knew that even though nothing was happening, both of them could strike at any timeand the match would have ended before they knew it. This was not something that could be seen usually on this level.
*SWOOH*
Tomoyo delivered a lightning fast thrust. She barely made any movements before launching it so the speed wasn't as quick as she would have liked. Ayame was startled but her quick response and Tomoyo's reach limitations made her barely able to dodge it.
Ayame didn't miss the chance and tried to counterattack but Tomoyo had already jumped backwards since she expected it after her attack had missed. The expressionless girl made another thrust but Ayame had seen through it because her eyes were glued to every movement her opponent made.
Time started to slow down for the two. This was the last round for both of them so they decided to give it their all. Both of the girls surpassed their physical limits and although there still wasn't a clear hit, each and every strike or thrust made the judges almost want to raise their flags to indicate a winner.
Each of their hits was powerful enough to end the match yet none of the attacks were able to connect. These two were evenly matched and it was hard to judge who was better than who.
Jirou clenched his fists. He was proud of his granddaughter to have reached this level so quickly. His beloved granddaughter was now passionately enjoying kendo and it was apparent on the look in her eyes. She was no longer just doing it because of him or their family, this girl had the desire to win.
"I really have to thank that kid…" he glanced around and tried to look for Kazuya. He was able to spot Miyamoto but the kid was nowhere to be found.
*BUZZ* the buzzer to indicate the end of the round sounded.
"Draw!" the referee loudly declared but the two girls were too engrossed in their fight to notice. He glanced towards the judges before he immediately moved in to stop the two.
"Please take a minute to rest and go back to your positions" he stepped in as the two glanced towards the clock to confirm that they had indeed exceeded the time limit.
"This is bad…" Jirou, who just got informed by Miyamoto that Kazuya was not around, whispered.
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"What's wrong Jirou-sama? Did you need Kouzuki-kun for something?" Miyamoto asked but Jirou couldn't bother replying to him right now.
*huff huff* Tomoyo took off her helmet to catch her breath. Both contenders only had a minute to recover so Tomoyo took advantage of the time and used what Kazuya had taught her about recovering her stamina.
She had not expected that the duel would go on for this long. Ayame was indeed a worthy competitor and she was the only one aside from Kazuya that was able to match her this much at their age. Tomoyo felt proud to have been able to let this opponent of hers take her seriously this time around.
She glanced around and tried to look for the one who was mostly responsible for her rapid improvement. She wanted to know what kind of look he was observing with and secretly hoped that he would praise her after the match was over.
"?" she frowned. She couldn't find him at all. Tomoyo looked at her grandfather who was beside their coach and looked at him trying to convey a message.
"Tsk… why isn't that boy back yet?" Jirou couldn't help but feel bad as he shook his head to say that he didn't know where Kazuya was.
-
What Jirou and the others didn't know was the boy that they had been looking for was now staring at the barrel of a gun that Lee angrily pointed at him. Kazuya was the only one able to remain calm while the others, including the scarred man, felt that the situation had escalated into something that they hadn't signed up for.
"Young master, do think this through. We are in a public place filled with tons of people. Firing a gun here would only draw attention" the scarred man tried to calm Lee down. He didn't want to be implicated along with him because he lost his temper.
"You don't need to worry about anything scar man. This guy is a spineless wuss that doesn't have the guts to act openly. He can't even admit that he's a puppet sent by the Kuroganes and seeks benefits by using a kid like me"
"SHUT UP!" the scarred man kicked Kazuya again and threw him towards another table.
"Stop it you monsters! Don't you dare hurt him anymore!" Kurumi shouted but all of it fell on deaf ears.
"Tsk…" Kazuya didn't expect a muscle man like this guy had some brains. He glanced towards the table he crashed into and slowly moved towards one of the legs. He knew that as long as the scarred man was there, implementing the plan he thought of would prove a bit difficult.
Lee lowered the gun and smirked after seeing Kazuya's predicament. He was rather fond of seeing him getting beat down. His confidence continued to grow after seeing the scarred man indifferent towards hitting a child. He was indeed as reliable as he had heard.
"You are right my brother, I was indeed sent by the Kuroganes to get along with you. Though I must say that your imagination is too creative. The only reason they sent me was because of you. Those people wanted to know what kind of child you were since you did have the Kurogane blood in you"
"Oh? So that means they just wanted to know if I was useful enough for them to acknowledge? Don't take me for the fool you thought I was" Kazuya sluggishly stood up.
"You're right. I was sent to assess you but, in the event, that they didn't think you were worthy enough to carry the name, I would use the relationship I formed with you to get advantages for them" Lee began flaunting the gun in his hands to make sure that his little brother knew who was in charge.
Kazuya couldn't help but smile after this confirmation. He was finally able to unravel a piece of his past that he had been wondering about. Lee spied on him and reported that he was unfit to bear the Kurogane name. as a person deemed worthless, Kazuya received no help after Kyouko's accident that Mei thought the Kuroganes plotted. He then took advantage of Kyouko's last will and gained full control of Kazuya's inheritance while he was still in a coma.
"Since you've decided to come clean, I also have something to confess to you" Kazuya seriously looked at Lee's arrogant gaze.
"Oh? You've finally decided to tell the truth? It's too late. No matter what you say, I will—"
"I've told big sis Mei how you've been breaking into her apartment and stealing her underwear. She now sees you as the spineless swine that you are. Hehe" Kazuya mischievously laughed.
The scarred man wasted no time to come at Kazuya again after noticing Lee's trigger finger itching to fire at the kid for his provocation. What he didn't expect was that Kazuya had been anticipating this and moved as if he hadn't been injured at all.
Kazuya jumped up and struck the scarred man with the table's steel leg. All of this happened too fast as the sneak attack successfully ended with Kazuya standing above the scarred man's unconscious body.
"You!! Drop that weapon!" Lee was startled and immediately pointed the gun at Kazuya's direction.
Kazuya smiled and immediately dropped the weapon in his hands to calm the idiot a little.
""BOSS!!"" the goons wanted to go to their leader but because Lee was pointing towards their direction, they were hesitant to do so.
"I advise you people to take scar man and leave. Did all of you know that this stupid former brother of mine has already been disowned and abandoned by the Kurogane Conglomerate? Are you willing to be implicated in the murder of the successor of the Kouzuki household for a person who doesn't even have a speck of influence?"
"SHUT UP!!" Lee rushed at Kazuya and hit him with the gun on his hand. Kazuya took the hit but his legs were steady.
"I promise to let this matter go as long as you take your boss and leave quietly. Otherwise, you can let this fool shoot me now and try to get yourselves out of this mess" Kazuya ignored lee and turned his head towards the men.
All of them may not have been as smart as their leader but they could tell from Lee's reaction that what Kazuya just declared was the truth. All of them moved towards their leader and caused Lee to take a few steps back.
"Stop, you lot! I'm not going to pay you if you dare leave now!" Lee madly shouted at them but it was no use. All of them understood that the Kouzuki household was scary and going against them without the guarantee of the Kurogane Conglomerate was practically suicide.
"How can we be sure that you won't go against your word?" one of the men who picked up the scarred man asked.
"Do you know what the Kouzuki house is most famous for? It's our word. I'm not even asking you to disarm or take care of this retarded guy because he should have already given you money" Kazuya smirked.
His confidence shook them because the Kouzuki house was indeed both praised and criticized for this old-fashioned way of thinking. The men left quietly and only Lee, Kazuya and Kurumi remained. Kazuya turned towards the girl while ignoring the gun pointed at him.
"Leave this to me and go"
"No!" Lee moved towards Kurumi to prevent her from leaving to get help but Kazuya blocked him.
"Do you even have the balls to do it?" Kazuya wasn't fazed as Lee pointed the gun at him.
"Stop it Kazuya-kun!" Kurumi didn't understand why he kept provoking him. She trembled at the sight when Kazuya stepped forward and let the barrel of the gun touch his forehead.
Lee didn't know where this former brother of his got so much courage. His hands trembled when he thought about what the consequences would be if he really did pull the trigger. This was the only advantage that he had and yet his bluff was called.
"This is over" Kazuya touched the gun and slowly pushed it downwards. He whispered something to Lee while he was doing so and before Kurumi could go near them. The cheers that could suddenly be heard prevented Kurumi from hearing what Kazuya said but there was one sound that she could not help but hear...
*BANG*
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