Chapter 7: 5.5TH FIGHT: OLDIES’ SCRUFFLE (2)

5.5th FIGHT: OLDIES' SCRUFFLE (2)

-XOXOXOX-

---

-XOXOXOX-

-SWIISSH!-

Dashing towards the 'leader' of the group, Shintarou viciously drove his fist into the man's solar plexus before slamming his elbow down at the nape of the man's neck, knocking him out instantly.

"Guuuh…" The 'leader' groaned before going silent.

As the man slowly fell, Shintarou rushed towards the rest of the thugs holding firearms with a speed that their eyes simply couldn't keep up with, and within a very brief moment; disarmed them before brutally slamming them into the ground.

Kiyoshi on the other hand had begun to skillfully dislocate the goon's arms as he slammed them face-first into the room's concrete, causing the sound of sharp popping and cracking before dull thuds to resonate within the room.

-SNAP!, SHATTER!-

Wasting no time, Kiyoshi stomps on the fallen firearms, with enough force that they snapped into pieces before striding forwards, ramming his fist forcefully into the jaws and chin of several of the goons, then springing his leg skywards as he brought it down in a whip-like fashion upon his enemies.

"Guuaah!" Several pained shouts and screams could be heard as the situation devolved even further between the group of thugs.

After easily taking care of the first few of the thugs that wielded firearms, they then moved on to take out the rest of the group.

"Huh!?"

"What the!?"

Although it wasn't the first time that the goons had seen someone capable of fighting, it still was surprising for them to witness it as if it were a scene from a martial arts flick, in which even if they all attacked at once instead of waiting around one by one, they still were unable to actually hurt the two men.

Unfortunately though, they wouldn't even have enough time to mull over their situation as the damage being dealt by the two martial artists had only 'begun' to get crazier.

With Kiyoshi using brutal combinations to break, crack, and shatter the thug's bones with both his legs and fists, and Shintarou using firm and precise grappling moves to toss several men about, some of the lucky ones got the chance to make out with a cold beauty by the exotic name of 'hard concrete floor' before going unconscious.

-And as for the unlucky ones…

-CRASH!-

They got sent crashing into the concrete wall, most likely breaking bones in the process.

"You! You motherfucker!" Furious beyond belief, one of the nameless thugs tries to stab and slash Shintarou to no avail.

Frustrated, the man takes a big lunge to stab Shintarou in the jugular, but this certain action right here would be his undoing.

Avoiding the knife attack with slick and evasive moves, Shintarou firmly grasps onto the man's arms, seemingly using the man's own power against him as he sent him flying out of the window of the three-story building to his untimely demise.

"Aaaiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee!" The poor nameless thug cried out, his voice getting quieter and quieter until…

-SPLAT!-

A dull sound outside at the very base of the building resonated.

'Woah. What... What the hell… That… That was too fast… How the hell did he even pull this off!?' The boy in a cloak wondered, his eyes widened to their limit.

'And the other old man too… It's crazier than those fantasy books I got from the old man! Just who the hell are they really!?'

'That footwork, it's almost like he just went up and disappeared! And that guy who got sent flying! Plus the other oldie, it's like he just exploded forward to the thugs..'

Such events were bordering on the realms of fantasy to the boy, but for some reason, he couldn't avert his eyes from them. It was like a chasm with an extraordinary gravitational force, one so magnetic that had clasped onto his 'curiosity pouring from his eyes', and by the way things were going, it seemed as if it would never let go.

"Shit! Everyone, quick!"

Apprehensive of what had just occurred to the first dozen or so of their comrades, the rest of the thugs soon recovered and brandished the rest of their weapons as they banded together, circling the duo

-GLEAM!, SCHWEET!-

As the metallic sound of the blades echo in the room as the boy carefully watches this unfold, an eerie gleam can be seen within the eyes of the thugs as they inched closer and closer to the duo, ready for action.

Narrowing his oddly colored eyes at the remaining men, Kiyoshi could see quite clearly that they had absolutely no intentions of retreating at this point in time, even after several of their comrades had been taken out. "Hmnn… For fodder trash, you sure do have some skills…"

"Meh... How troublesome…" Shintarou said blandly.

"Now!" The thugs roar.

-SWISH!-

Dodging the strikes of the crazed thugs, the two men had begun to pummel their opponents. With Shintarou outright killing the unfortunate thugs via deadly strikes that either crush or broke their limbs, Kiyoshi had settled with dislocating his enemies' limbs as he swiftly knocked them out.

"Aaaargh!"

"Ooof!

"Grauuugh!"

"What's wrong? Don't stop just yet!" Shintarou yelled.

Suddenly dashing in a random direction of a thug, Shintarou flexed his muscles as he clenched his fist.

'What... What is he trying to do now?' The boy wondered.

What happened next was a move so incredibly linear as he only moved in a straight line, that it was nothing like the masterful dodging from before.

"Ahh… Crap! O-" Yelled a random thug, who seemed to have been firmly planted in Shintarou's sights.

After clenching and hardening his muscles at the last possible second, Shintarou had simply punched straight ahead, and to the surroundings and especially the target, it was fatal.

-WHAM!-

"Kuuoorgh!"

With such a firm attack that had caved in the man's face, the man was sent flying as he went unconscious before he could even finish his cry of; "Oh no!"

Slamming into the wall at such great speed, the thug dented it as he cleared a path through some of his colleagues who had yet to move out of the way to avoid being hit.

However, this simply wasn't the end.

Using the same move, Shintarou continued the onslaught of the thugs as they slowly realized that even with their weapons, it wouldn't end well for them.

If what could be seen from the partially hidden expression of the boy wrapped in a cloak was anything to go off of, then this was quite the sight for them all, most especially the boy.

'I-Incredible… I-It's like they're on a whole other league compared to those thugs… Even if I use my 'tricks' I would never dream of being able to take them out like that...'

'Strong, so strong… But if they're that strong, then what about 'that' man then...' The boy thought, frowning as unpleasant memories of the years past gone resurfaced within his mind.

'I'll get that strong soon… Just wait… Then, no one will be able to mess with me…' He swore.

Taking a glance at the boy, Kiyoshi's lips turned upwards as he made an approving nod before effortlessly pummeling the rest of the thugs that were unfortunate enough to stand in his path. 'Even though we went quite faster than what normal people should be able to observe, the kid still was able to see most of it, huh…' Kiyoshi thought.

'That kid is a monster in the making… Then again, mostly all of 'that' man's 'spawn' are monsters in the making...'

""!""

As they were done 'playing' the thugs before them, suddenly without any warning, three armed men followed by an extremely tall and muscular man with a physique comparable to Shintarou entered the room, blazing recklessly as they tried to kill the duo. It was 'The Muscle Man' known as Chouji, followed by the fresh recruits Hanzo, Gou, and Yun.

-BRRRRRRRR!-

"Shit! Did we get 'em?" Gou exclaimed

After the smoke of the gunfire had cleared up, the two dead bodies riddled among a group of downed thugs can be seen, bleeding as they lay unconscious and unmoving.

-Well, that is what the three gunmen and Hanzo had expected at least.

However, truth is often stranger than fiction.

Seeing that not only did their attack spectacularly fail but that the duo was practically unharmed, an abundance of sweat began to travel down Gou's back. "Fuck! How the fuck are these oldies alive?!"

Cursing softly in his mind, Hanzo tried to reason with Gou and the others. "Let's retreat, If the fucking guns do shit to them, then we're not gonna do any better even if we gang up on 'em."

"Agreed." Yun said, nodding his head.

"Oh whatever, let's fuckin' bolt!-" Gou yelled.

As the trio with the guns came to a shared conclusion they agreed to escape. However, their escape would not be so easy. They had rudely shot at the duo after all. And hadn't they known? People could die if you shoot them with guns. Though the muscular Chouji did not leave, staying firmly rooted in his position.

"Not so fast~" A stern voice is heard as Kiyoshi suddenly stands in front of them.

"!"

"You can't just run after unloading a full clip on us…" Kiyoshi sternly reprimanded, in a tone not unlike a father scolding his children.

"Magazine, sir." Yun calmly replied.

Raising an eyebrow, Kiyoshi looked directly at Yun. "Pardon?"

"It's a 'Magazine' sir. The clip is used to hold to bullets together. The compartment that holds ammo to be fed into the chamber of a firearm is a maga-"

Cutting Yun off, Gou yelled as he attempted to retreat. "No one cares! Let's fuckin' dip already!"

"Man, leaving after trying to riddle us with bullets? What rude kids…" Slightly amused, Shintarou seemed ready to engage until a weird dangerous pressure erupted as Chouji charged at him as he raised his fist.

-BAAAM!-

As if a mini dust explosion went off, shards of hard rock had begun to fly about the place, splintering into smaller, yet still lethal pieces.

Easily dodging the attack that put a hole in the concrete ground, Shintarou playfully mocked the man.

Dodging the attack, Shintarou mockingly pokes fun at the man. "And you... You're even worse! Not the friendly type are ya'?" Shintarou asked.

Looking directly at the man, Shintarou could see an amazing musculature that heavily radiated power. 'Ho? This one's physique definitely took years to build up.' Shintarou thought.

Casting a disdainful look at the number of unconscious men around the two 'slightly older men', Chouji steeled his gaze as a hint of a smirk could barely be seen. "So you two are the ones I'm looking for? Figures."

-FWIISH-

Suddenly emanating from Chouji's body, an almost invisible pressure leaks out violently as the trio behind him faltered slightly.

There had been reports from the boss of people being hired to mess with his businesses and cause trouble, and so far, with his fists, he had done a good job of making sure they never do it again for the rest of their lives.

'But these two are different' Chouji thought. 'Fodder like these guys can't take on monsters like these two…'

In front of Chouji stood a lazy-looking man with ruffled black hair and a…Businessman? One with weird eyes at that.

No. He knew where those eyes came from. Only one clan from around these parts in Japan had those.

And if what he knew was correct, then he couldn't underestimate him either.

Nevertheless, it wasn't as if Chouji was going to underestimate them in the first place, especially the so-called 'Businessman' who is said to have a serious family backing if the words from the Insider's informants are to be trusted.

'Tch, How pathetic…' After seeing what had happened to his comrades and especially the one planted firmly on the bottom floor unmoving and unresponsive as they slowly bled out, Chouji knew that at this point there was no use in talking it out. Not that he ever planned on letting them go even if they had talked.

Without sparing as much as a glance to the three behind him, Chouji stared forward while speaking. "Back up you three… I'll take on these two old-timers..."

What he had to do was simple: Take the life of not only these two men standing before him but also the life of that 'annoying little shit' that had caused a mess in the TTC building.

"I'll take 'em 'On and Out'."

Looking at Chouji, Kiyoshi spoke, "Alright now, Chouji 'The Muscle Man' was it? It seems like we both have similar jobs to do since it looks like you're one of those we have to take out while we're at it…"

"No problem, I'll handle this," Kiyoshi said while fixing his sunglasses.

"Now wait a sec' Kiyoshi, You can't do that, you know I was gonna fight this guy.." Shintarou suddenly interjected, this was a joint project, after all, a tag-team duo of all things!

"I'll pass, you like to play with your 'food' too much. The quicker we do this, the quicker we can go back…" Kiyoshi firmly refused.

"Hey, c'mon bud. Don't be like that…" Shintarou lazily said, in an almost drawl-like manner.

"Also, I have to back in time for dinner..."

"C'mon… I got this, bud…"  

"Hmmn, I pass..."  

Looking at the two vastly powerful men go back and forth, the boy felt a sweat drop flicker down his forehead as he watched the silly scene unfold before him. 'They're bickering like children… I guess when you're strong you really can do whatever the hell you want, huh...'

On the other hand, the trio and Chouji were not as accepting of having to listen to Kiyoshi and Shintarou bicker like children about whose turns it is. Especially because to them it had sounded as if the reality of having to fight was nothing but a mere game for the two.

As it went on and on, Chouji quickly grew tired of it as veins surfaced on his head before he finally snapped.

"Enough!" Chouji yelled. "I'll fight the both of you old-timers, now hurry up! The result still will be the damned same!"

""...""

High in the three-story building, a deafening silence prevailed as the two abruptly stopped to look at Chouji.

As the tension grew even higher, the two looked at Chouji…

-Then looked at each other before…

""Pffffttt!""

"Hehehahahahahahahahah!"

"Hohohohohohohohohohoh!"

"Oi, Kiyoshi, you heard this little shit?" Shintarou asked, barely managing to stay standing as he started to shake uncontrollably.

"Wasn't it street code for the 'pusher' not to get high off of their own 'supply'? What's it nowadays, some kind of perk with the job?" Shintarou added, looking at Kiyoshi for answers.

Trying his best to keep a straight face for the sake of his 'serious job mode', Kiyoshi responded. "Y-yes, W-who would've known, i-it would seem that Yakuza also feed their employees the drugs they peddle, M-maybe it's a monthly bonus-ahem!"

"Buwhahahahah!"

"Hyahahahahah!"

Looking at the state of the two men crouching on the ground, one could surely feel the disrespect flowing through their veins as they laughed without a care in the world, not minding the people before them.

'...These two guys are out of their damned minds.' These were the thoughts that everyone, including the boy shared at this very moment.

Slowly getting up first, Shintarou admonished the man with a slightly teasing tone. "Look what you did… Now I'm the only one who's standing… You should've done that earlier, maybe you would've had a chance at beating us, Mr. Comedian…"

"Now then..." Shintarou said, finally getting somewhat serious.

The two started to stare at each other, gauging the other's abilities before the fight had even begun as they made minuscule motions trying to throw the other off.

-TWITCH!, TWITCH...-

-DASH!-

His muscles twitching, Chouji rushed forward as he performed a flurry of attacks that boasted enough speed to cut through the air, each with the same power that had shattered the concrete ground.

Dodging them effortlessly, Shintarou never let up the mocking smile that had adorned his face as he moved side to side in an almost elegant manner, certain contrary to his usual behavior.

"Man, you're not much of a talker, are ya?"

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Kiyoshi cheered Shintarou on. "Go get 'em, Old-Timer! Show that youngins' what you're made of!"

-SWIT, SWIT!, SWIT!-

Several savage blows by Chouji were thrown out, yet absolutely none of them were landing. It was as if whenever Chouji had 'hit' Shintarou, the blows would suddenly 'bend' if not outright missing.

"Haaaa!"

"!"

Raising his knee, Chouji pushes with incredible force as he attempted to kick Shintarou in the abdomen.

Acting quickly, Shintarou brought his arms closer to his stomach while clenching his muscles, effectively guarding against the attack and taking no damage.

Though, Chouji was far from done.

Not stopping for a breather, Chouji began to wail on Shintarou, endlessly throwing all sorts of blows as Shintarou continued to keep up his guard, not moving once through the entire ordeal.

"Bet you regret it now, don't you? But it's too late because I've been paid to kill you, you cocky bastard!" Chouji yelled.

"Heh." Grinning slightly, Once Chouji's fists came into contact with Shintarou's arms, Shintarou uses his guard to lightly redirect Chouji's fists, sending him slightly off-balance before firmly planting his right foot into Chouji's abdomen, pushing him back a few meters.

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"Guuhaa!? Grrrr..." Chouji grunted with a murderous expression.

Even after looking at the expression of rage on Chouji's face, Shintarou's teasing did not let up. "What's the matter, big boy? That can't be enough to take you out now is it?"

"Are you gassing out already? Your lack of stamina isn't something that the ladies will take kindly to, y'know…"

"Shut up!" Chouji roared.

"Trust me on this, I've got plenty of years over 'ya, so I know what I'm saying." Shintarou calmly said.

"Normally they'll say that it doesn't matter and they love you just the same, but what you need to think about, isn't what they say to you, but to their friends..." Shintarou tried to advise the man. After all, teaching the next generation is the duty of the elders.

"Die already!" Chouji yelled, charging at Shintarou.

A swift barrage of blows were all deflected as Shintarou had buried another foot deep into Chouji's stomach, the only difference this time is that it had sent the tall muscular man flying like he was a hundred kilograms lighter.

"Eh, no thanks, don't worry 'bout me though, how about you do it instead?" Shintarou said.

-THUD!-

"Guuhhuuu…" Chouji painfully groaned.

Leaking blood from his mouth, Chouji quickly leaped up, cautious of his opponent's next move.

'My attacks... They're hitting, that I'm sure of... But at the same time, they aren't?'

Chouji glared daggers into the lazy looking man in front of him, trying to see any flaws he could possibly exploit. But the stance Shintarou was, well…

-Lazy. And almost docile, as if he never had any intention to fight in the first place.

"Are you done already? I could'a sworn that you had more fight left in ya', boy" Shintarou said.

"Tch!"

"!"

"Shaa!" Chouji yelled, driving his fist forward to Shintarou's temple.

But…

-CLASP-

Shintarou had calmly yet firmly clasped his fist before using his own strength against him, sending him flying into a wall and crashing down.

"Kuooo!?"

-THUD!-

'That move! Who is he really...' Chouji coughed up crimson, thinking so while glaring hatefully at Shintarou.

"Grrr..."

-EXHALE-

Exhaling the man had gotten up over and over as they had continued to fight, but there was one thing that had left the cloaked boy confused.

'What the hell is that big oaf doing? Why does he look so lousy than when he was 'fighting' me?' The boy in a cloak thought.

Seeing the man that gave chills to his spine being manhandled like this was certainly strange for the boy, even if it was 'natural' for him to win in a fight against him anyway.

Maybe it was a budding sense of pride? An overwhelming sense of pure confusion? Who knows.

'I wonder though… Just how long does he intend to play with this big guy?'

Stepping closer to the quiet Chouji, Shintarou clenched his fist "Looks like this is it, buddy boy~"

-SNEER-

Chouji had suddenly made a rather unpleasant expression as Shintarou had stepped closer and closer until...

Raising his fist, Shintarou slowly spoke "Now, to end thi-"

"!"

-RUMBLE, RUMBLE-

Chouji sprinted with a speed that the cloaked child watching was starting to have trouble keeping up with, putting an impressive amount of strength in his arms, as one could see the bulging veins and muscles as he brought it down on Shintarou.

-WHAAAAM-

'!'

'Old man...' The boy narrowed his eyes.

"How about now, old-timer? How's that cheeky look on your face after I hit you point-blank?" Chouji spat, disdainful of Shintarou's laid-back attitude while fighting him.

-FWEEEEHH-

As the dust began to clear itself out, it revealed a perfectly fine Shintarou with a portion of the clothes on his arm torn to shreds.

"Hmmn, It's still the same, to be honest…"

"!"

"What!? How the hell are you still standing!? How did you block that!?" To say Chouji was shocked would be an understatement as this move had used almost every ounce of strength in him and was capable of even shattering concrete to dust.

Looking at Shintarou one could see his muscle hardening as he stretched his arms over and over. "Huh? Why are you so surprised? Nothing about that blow was 'unblockable' anyway!" 

"Tch, Once agai-" Trying it once more, Chouji flexes his arm but is interrupted as Shintarou closes in on him.

"Tut, Tut, Tut. That won't work a second time, 'young-one'" Shintarou coyly drawled, waving his index finger side-to-side as he clicked his tongue

"!"

'Damn it! I have to dodge! And quickly' Chouji thought. His decades' worth of fighting experience told him… No, warned him that if he'd stuck around in this same position any longer, then things would get even uglier for him.

Belatedly moving backwards in an attempt to open the distance, it was to no avail as Shintarou had instantly closed the distance each time with a speed well faster than his eyes could react to.

-FWWSHHH-

Getting closer and closer each time to Chouji, Shintarou's muscles flexes and hardens as he raised his fist once more. "Let me show you a lil' something boy…"

-SKIIID-

"Hyeut!" Shintarou yelled out

-WHAM!-

Driving his fist into Chouji's chest cavity with explosive speed and strength, the entire room suddenly goes silent.

"..."

"…"

-drip, drip, drip-

The sound of liquid falling, blood in fact as it slowly leaks from one of the orifices of the two fighters.

-drip, drip, drip-

-FWOOOOOOOO-

As the tepid wind flows lightly into one of the many rooms within this abandoned three-story building, the curtain in the occupied room is pushed away as even more light enters the room.

-THUD!-

Falling first into the slowly building pool of his own blood, Chouji had slipped into the vast lands  of unconsciousness.

Looking at the sight that had unfolded before him the boy in a cloak exclaimed.

It shouldn't be so easy.

To take down someone that strong.

It really shouldn't.

"T-That… No way!"

"Looks like you cleaned them up nicely, Kiyoshi~" Shintarou said, peering over Kiyoshi's shoulder.

"!"

'What!?' The boy looked over in shock.

The trio that had tried running away earlier were already beaten black and blue, as they laid there, silent and unmoving on the ground.

'I was so focused on the old man; I couldn't even see when he dealt with those three!' The boy thought, turning in the direction of the downed trio.

'They weren't that 'weak' at all, I mean, I was feeling pretty concerned about whether I could beat them the next time around, but this…'

'Forget feeling tired, the old man doesn't even 'look' like he's 'beginning' to 'break a sweat'...'

-CLENCH-

Gripping his now sweaty palms until they start to turn red, the boy alternated between staring at the two 'oldies' in shock, and the legion of goons battered into unconsciousness laying on the floor. 'If I would have issues taking them on, and these old guys just dropped them like flies... T-then am I really that weak?'

Seeing the boy's shock, Shintarou merely smiled while rustling the boy's hair. "If you keep your mouth open, a fly is going to 'fly' right into it, kiddo~"

-RUSTLE, RUSTLE-

"And with this, my boy… Your job is officially done!" Shintarou cheered.

"…"

Stretching side to side while letting out a lazy yawn, Kiyoshi paced around the room freely. Shintarou on the other hand had begun to rustle through the pockets of the goons, trying to find any item of significance before they continue with the next part of their 'job.

"Listen, kiddo, Kiyoshi and I are going to hit up our client for a while before heading out to nip this little 'problem' in the bud. Afterward, you could meet me for your payment, and since you did quite the job, I'll put in a little extra, how's that sound eh?"

"…"

Continuing his speech, Shintarou paced the room. "And one more thing kiddo, try not to go out on the streets too much for the following week ok? Cause it's going to be a bloodbath soon, and you wouldn't want to try so hard at living just to end up dying in a gang skirmish, alright?"

"…"

Realizing that the boy wasn't answering due to being lost in his own thoughts, Shintarou gingerly shook the boy. "Oi kid! You heard what I said?"

"Huh!? Y-yeah... Sure… I hear you loud and clear…" Snapping halfway out of his wonderment, the boy was able to give a somewhat coherent answer to the man's inquiries before zoning right back into his thoughts.

Memories of the shadowy figure of a woman emerged, gently caressing his head.

-'Remember, █ █ █ █ █ █ █....'

A feminine voice spoke, smooth and soothing, it was a soft bell-like voice that seemed as if it could halt the most ferocious of beasts and waterfalls with just a listen. Even now remembering it alleviated some of the boy's rising frustration as he began to cool his head.

"Haaaah…"

'Soon… I promise…' The boy thought, his eyes glazing over with an almost indecipherable light, akin to that of a raging flame.

'Hmmn. Looks like Shintarou was right… Even if his body currently can't keep up with it, his vision and reflexes seem to be on the way to becoming top-notch…' Kiyoshi thought as he spared the boy a single glance.

If it's one thing the people of the Inside shared, then it was their desire not just to survive, but to 'live'. But what did they mean by that? Aren't they living right now? Or did they have dreams of life even greater than the one they currently lead?

Something akin to a celebrity moving out of the hood once they had 'made it'; in showbiz would be one of the common answers, but not all of them.

'Now, It depends on whether the boy can train his body to keep up, or will it just waste away… But knowing 'that' man, it seems like he'll do anything to make sure that that won't happen…' Kiyoshi let out an amused chuckle. His family was by no means saints. Acts that dished out death and violence as if it was the soup kitchen were pretty much standard dinner table talk to them.

How the 'job' went, 'mistakes' made that could be improved upon, and certain people to look out for the next time around.

So by looking at the kid he can definitely tell…

'Ah, this kid's a monster in the making.'

'Though, if I were to bet my money on it… Then the one true opponent this kid might face in the future might be from the very 'roots of his blood' itself.' Kiyoshi mused.

'After all, No matter how ferocious, terrifying, and evil that 'monster' may be, there's no way it'll allow its very own 'seed' to grow to become mere 'fodder'...'

'So as long as this kid's still alive...'

'Then it's for good reason...'

"Heh... Hehe" Kiyoshi let out a small laugh.

'Come to think of it, doesn't my clan have a few rising stars of their own?'

-GRIN-

'The next generation is going to be quite the spectacle, eh?'

-XOXOXOX-

---

-LATER THAT EVENING...-

---

-XOXOXOX-

-BARK!, BARK!-

Walking past the array of armed men minding their own business as they got high on drugs, unresponsive bodies lining the land, and vicious canine animals barking nonstop, the cloaked child ignored it all as he headed towards his home, his body light as usual, but his mind heavier than before.

'If I were to do all I could to try and kill that old man…'

'If this were a fight with our lives on the line…'

'Then, in the end, I'd be dead… No, 'Super Dead'.'

'Those guys… They're just beyond what I'm currently capable of...' The brown-eyed boy in a cloak sighed once more. It was as if today was the day in which he'd do that nonstop, and it was starting to irk him.

-'Remember, █ █ █ █ █ █ █...'- The feminine bell-like voice rings in the boy's ears again…

'This memory again... It doesn't help the fact that I can barely remember what happened next...'

"Haa- No, not again…" The boy stopped himself before he popped a blood vessel in frustration. "To think that I'd feel so jealous of them… Or is it envy?"

'How frustrating…'

Casting a glance at the utter dullness and perpetual grey that filled his eyes, the boy muttered softly. 'I… I refuse to live in this shithole for the rest of my life… I just can't do it…'

'And I swear, after I find the bastard that threw me in this hellhole, I'll fucking kick his ass...'

'Though, that might be easier said than done...' The boy mused.

Remembering the events that had transpired, the boy's face slowly broke into a mean-spirited snarl before returning to his previous, ever-so-neutral expression. 'However, not everything is all gloomy though, I might not be able to completely see that old man's moves… But, I sure as hell did gain some kind of inspiration.'

'Now I just have to get stronger...'

-'Remember, █ █ █ █ █ █ █...'- The shadowy figure of the woman calls out to the boy once more…

-'You shouldn't just give up without trying all right? It might be tough, but I'm sure that you'll brave through it.'

'After all, you're my strong boy, aren't you dear?'

'You seem to be really confident in me, y'know? Even more than I am in myself… I wonder why that is…' The boy thought while looking up into the darkening sky.

'Huh, Mother?'

-XOXOXOX-

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5.5th FIGHT: OLDIES' SCRUFFLE (2) END

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-XOXOXOX-

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