61 Lees Purpose (1/2)

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*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.

”What's wrong Jirou-sama? Did you need Kouzuki-kun for something?” Miyamoto asked but Jirou couldn't bother replying to him right now.