Chapter 5: 4TH FIGHT: BUILDINGS AHOY

4th FIGHT: BUILDINGS AHOY

-XOXOXOX-

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-XOXOXOX-

While a mere kid sent the entirety of the TTC building into a murderous uproar that showed no signs of dissipating any time soon, not even a few blocks away within the 25th building in the Tokita Ward, the current atmosphere could be said to be rather jovial and festive.

-Well, as festive as it can get in an abandoned building, that is.

In a tawdry room with torn grey walls, a torn grey couch, and messy rubble scattered just about everywhere, the room displayed a depressive monochrome tone of dullness, completely contrasting with the cheery vibes of its current occupants.

Sitting within the ramble of what could be considered seats, the two men present had a bit of a chat, boisterous and spirited as raucous laughter reverberated throughout the room.

Nonchalantly drinking in the middle of the room, sat a drunken man with shaggy black hair and sharp eyes who boasted incredible height, easily surpassing two meters which possessed an incredible physique, poorly hidden beneath a grey gi.

And next to him sat a man who seemed relatively short compared to the former, yet had a great physique underneath the standard black business suit and black sunglasses completely obscuring his eyes.

"Anyways, my boy! Have I ever shown you the pictures of my wife and kids?" The 'Businessman' jovially asked, effortlessly downing an entire can of cheap beer before gently setting the can down.

-CRUSH!-

"Yea, you did…" Inebriated as ever, the 'Karate' man downed his can of cheap beer, crushing it into a thin plate before tossing it away

-HICCUP!-

"So-"

Looking over to the slightly doozy 'Businessman' The 'giant' in the karate gi cut him off before he could speak again. "Uhhh... About two-hundred thirty-seven damn times today…"

His partner before was a man that shared some of the same occupations as he had in the past. From being a bodyguard to straight-up assassination itself, the seemingly 'thin' man in a business suit had worked alongside, if not worked against him in several jobs as well.

While he was overall quite the dandy guy, his 'love'/'obsession' with his family was just something that was out of this world. It was a protective nature that shone so fiercely that his normally composed facade would instantly crackle and if you went too far it would shatter.

The man in the karate gi could still remember what happened to the last guy that called the former's daughter a 'bitch' or even called him a 'son-of-a-bitch' for that matter. Or rather, what happened to the 'rest' of him.

What was it... A firm 'respecter' of women the man would proudly call himself, whatever that word may mean.

'I ain't no scholarly type, but I'm sure that ain't a word though' The gi-wearing man mused as he shook his head.

Speaking truthfully? He didn't dislike the fact that his drinking partner kept talking about his kids. Not at all to be honest. It was just that he kept on talking about his kids a bit 'too' much.

Too much for his taste anyway...

"Oh yeah… Wanna see them again?"

"Like hell, I'd want to! That'll take all day!" Sternly refusing, the man wearing the karate gi loudly yawned, trying his best not to fall asleep as he remembered some of the reasons he was currently sitting, dicking around in an abandoned building in the first place.

"I see. So you don't want to see the pictures of my beautiful family. Well then, do you want to see the 'other' pictures of my beautiful fam-" The 'Businessman' tried to continue in vain.

"No." Quickly cutting the man off for the sake of his own sanity, the man wearing a karate gi suddenly turned towards his cohort. "So Kiyoshi, how's life back at 'That Clan' huh? I bet it's as rowdy as ever eh?"

"Oh, they're doing great! My kids wrote me a happy birthday letter, and boy, was I moved! Those little buggers get the best of me sometimes!" Replying happily, Kiyoshi went on a long tirade mainly about how amazing his family was, much to the dismay and regret of the karate gi-wearing man.

Though the gi-wearing man had seen many things in his lifetime, the clan Kiyoshi hailed from... was really a weird one.

Not because of the fact that they all chose to specialize in 'one' job field, as he's seen tons of clans with their little own peculiarities, but, because of the fact that they mainly took up 'one' job... And they were all 'good' at it.

"Aint that sweet…" 

Finally finishing his tale of chivalrous love and honor the 'Businessman' suddenly turned towards the man wearing a karate gi with a gaze filled with admonishment. "You know, you could show a bit more love to your children, Shintarou. I mean so you're busy here in this rundown "Inside" that you can't even look after your kids!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it already..." Shintarou said.

"Oi, I'm serious! The love of a father's a serious thing y'know? If you keep this up, then unlike me whose been voted 'Best Father', The International Assassin Association (IAA) will vote you for the 'Worst Father Awards'!" Kiyoshi said. "Absolutely 'no' one wants to be crowned 'Worst Father', you got that?"

"Yeah, yeah..." No longer listening, Shintarou began to drift off into a deeper slumber before suddenly snapping awake, as he abruptly faced his drinking partner. "Huh?! Wait a minute… Since when was this a thing?"

"Late last year, I think…"

'You gotta be shittin' me… Since when did the 'IAA', the group that held the mantra; 'fulfill your mission at any cost no matter the methods nor sacrifices', aka a group filled with fuckin murderers turned into a group filled with a buncha' doting parents?' For a man like Shintarou, when it came down to the 'jobs' he took, he preferred to keep his family far away from his business, and his business even further away from his family.

To Shintarou, being too open about things that should be personal in 'jobs' like that was 'negligence', and negligence will only help write a tragedy play with the fool who allowed the lives of their close ones to be ruined as the protagonist.

'Then again, when you hail from 'That Clan', such things wouldn't even cross your mind, huh?'.

'And why? What kind of assassin would go around wearing Father's Day T-shirt-' Shintarou thought, before turning towards Kiyoshi.

'...'

'Oh. 'This' one.' Remembering what kind of person he was currently sitting next to, Shintarou exasperatedly shook his head, opening another can before emptying it in seconds.

"So, I heard that you've hired one of those orphan kids, how's he like? You planning to take on a disciple or something?" Kiyoshi suddenly spoke.

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"Who?, You mean the kid in the rags?" A slightly confused Shinatrou said.

"Duh! Who else am I talking about? They're only a few snot-nosed brats around these parts with the potential to become great 'Martial Artists' and go toe-to-toe with some grown folk around here..."

"Oh, that kid... Yeah, yeah..."

It wasn't a secret or anything within The Inside. Picking up some of the more capable orphans within the districts, and training them so that they could help in the future seemed to be one of the go-to ideas for those who were worth their salt.

-Could it be considered 'Child Labour' or 'Child Abuse'?

Yes.

-Did he care?

No.

Shintarou on a whole felt a tad bit indifferent about it. He wasn't against nor did he feel like judging since he felt that if they were to look at the topic with the mindset of 'Let he who had no sin cast the first stone.', then by all means...

Shintarou was not a man without sin. Nor did he try and pretend to be.

He did what he had to do in order to live and make living in this world for 'his folks' smooth sailing, So unless it affected his life directly and indirectly in some way shape, or form... He didn't give it much thought.

Thinking about the long-gone days of his training back when he was young, a much more serious look lined his eyes as he responded to the curious Kiyoshi. "Anyways, the kid's got potential, but if the decision to take him as a disciple I may or I may not. Depends on if he's tough enough to withstand my training before I decide on it..."

"Just one? Man, from what I've heard, some big-time martial artists have been showing some interest in those orphans, y' know? It's like a build-a-disciple factory here within the Inside!" Closing the photobook he carried with him, Kiyoshi responded, surprised at his fellow colleague's intention.

Shrugging gave a lazy shrug, "Yeah, just one. Besides, I'm sure I can handle it. I've been stagnating at my current level for a while now, and I think taking one or two disciples will help me gain some form of 'enlightenment' or something..."

"Hmmn…. I see, though your training method that's a hybrid of both practical and impractical, orthodox and unorthodox techniques will become pretty effective when used properly…" Kiyoshi said absentmindedly, adopting a scholarly pose.

"Then again, too bad your talent in Combat doesn't translate over in parenting, unlike my amazing-"

"Tch! You be quiet, Mr. Parent!" Shintarou snapped back, holding down his twitching eyebrows with his hand.

Waving his hand, unapologetic as always, Kiyoshi stood up as he gazed through the windows, peering into the vast, dilapidated areas of The Inside. "Alright, alright, I get it... But I'm surprised though."

"Hmn?"

"That you're even 'considering' all that master and disciple stuff, especially…" Kiyoshi trailed off, grabbing a can of beer as he shook his head at Shintarou

Adopting a thoughtful expression, Shintarou exhaled deeply.

"Hooh…"

"The truth is, even I wonder that sometimes… After what went down in that fuckin' forest... It's a miracle that I'm even alive! In fact, that was one of the reasons I decided to reform my old 'Martial Arts Style' so that I don't screw myself over and kick the bucket earlier than I have to..." Shintarou said, slumping back into the torn grey couch, lazier than a cat.

Turning to look at Shintarou, Kiyoshi thought for a bit. "Is that so... But won't your former 'Master' have something to say about it?"

'My former master... huh?' Shintarou thought.

As far as Shintarou could remember, his master was the solitary type of man, even though he burned with ambition brighter than several suns. And was an absolute behemoth of a man, whose size easily rivaled his, and whose talent and skill far outranked him.

"Heh..."

Suddenly grinning widely all of a sudden, Shintarou got up as he also gazed out of the window onto the streets, looking far away as he saw with a glimpse of his eyes, a child dressed completely in rags swiftly yet carefully heading towards the very building they were residing in. "Sure as hell, he will... But as far as I'm concerned, I should've been dead on that day. But I'm still here and kicking. So in that case, since life has given me another chance, I won't waste it."

"Well, if you're wondering, then keep on wondering till you find it! It's a long journey, just like the path of Fatherhood! You see I-" Kiyoshi began to boast for the umpteenth time.

"Alright, alright, I get it…" Shintarou said tiredly.

"Hmmn?" Kiyoshi's gaze steeled a bit in a certain direction

"Well, well, well..." Looking at the approaching child dressed in rags heading towards the building they were occupying, Kiyoshi smirked as he looked on.

"The kid's pretty good on his feet, light and fast..." Kiyoshi said. "Looks like it's time to start moving, you know the plan right?" 

"Yep, the job's to put a dent in the Takahiro's brat street 'cred' before putting a dent in his head, right? Got it." Stretching lazily, Shintarou yawned out the answer in an almost inaudible fashion.

"Yup, right on target..." saying so, Kiyoshi's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the approaching figure of a shrouded boy outside the building.

'Let's hope whoever is coming can put up somewhat of a fight, otherwise, this job will just be plain ol' boring...'

-XOXOXOX-

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4th FIGHT; BUILDINGS AHOY! END

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-XOXOXOX-

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