A standoff began to form across the grass street. Most of everyone’s legs were covered up in the sea of tall grass that billowed in the gusts that ated the developing se. Clouds slowly moved into the sky dulling the sun’s view down below. Shade thied the mood between Katsu and Haruo’s stare down.

  “So his name’s Katsu, Haruo?”

  “Yes.” He turned his body to front the hreat.

  “The one from your story you were telling me?”

  “The same.”

  “So it’s a reunion, huh?” Yuki smirked as he rubbed his hands together looking eager. He was already prepared for whatever they might have to throw at him.

  A gng eye over to Yuki had given Haruo all the crification he needed. ‘He’s pnning on fighting. It’s not going to solve anything. They’re here for revenge because they got beat. They aren’t afraid.’ Haruo stepped out in front of Yuki giving Katsu an inteare to try to draw them to himself.

  Chapter 78 – Breakdown of Words

  Yuki leaned around Haruo, being fused with Haruo’s a. ‘He’s pnning on fighting? There’s an awful lot of them though. Too many, possibly even me and I ’t use my power on normal humans.’ There was some uension that he picked up from the back of Haruo. “There’s too many for you to handle alone, Haruo!”

  Haruo lifted his right arm up to stop Yuki from ing forward. “No.”

  “Hey, what’s wrong? You want to fight them by yourself?”

  “I see it in your eyes. You want to fight.”

  A moment of fusion overcame Yuki. “I’m pretty sure they aren’t here for a social visit. I’m not going to start this, but I’ll finish anything they begin.” Yuki hoped that his determination would get through to Haruo.

  “That’s not the point. They’re here because you fought back.”

  Yuki thought for a moment to himself looking a bit absentminded in appearanbsp; His eyes blinked when he was finished and focused ba Haruo. “Yeah probably so.”

  “It’s revehat they want.”

  “So?”

  Haruo closed his eyes to take a breath. Haruo k to be ay absp; “They only want revenge because you fought them. If you hadn’t stopped them they wouldn’t be here now.”

  Yuki pushed through Haruo and fronted him directly. His finger poked at his chest as he looked straight in Haruo’s eyes. “Listen and listen good! Those people over there were in the wrong!” Yuki threw his free hand back to point towards the gang of teenagers. “You don’t have to keep taking it from them! You’ve got the strength to protect yourself! If you don’t they’ll just keep walking over you again and again!”

  He turned back around feelier having gotten that out of him. Yuki stared over at Katsu, who had been waiting while they were talking. “You said before that you were determio leave that life behind yht? Well your past is staring you dht now. You going to let your past trol you or are you going to trol your past!”

  There was a long pause from Haruo as he thought over what Yuki had said. ‘…maybe…my past is supposed to be behind me… maybe he’s right and it has been trolling me…’ Some doubt began to fill up inside him as he fell deeper into questioning his motives and as.

  “So what’s it going to be?”

  Haruo stepped forutting himself back out in front of Yuki. “This is my problem. I’ll ha.” He didn’t look back at Yuki’s smirk, but felt it a little. Katsu’s eyes tio stare at Haruo ily waiting when Haruo met his gaze.

  The silend surprising patience from their neighbors ireet had Yuki a little fused. He addressed the adult, Katsu, eared to be their leader. “You’re being awfully polite to wait until we’re doalking to start fighting.”

  Katsu opened his arms, breaking his stoic expression for a very casual feign at innobsp; “That’s quite the assumption you’re making there.”

  Being a little coy with the man, Yuki pyed along trying to get a read on him. “So you and your friends over there are just enjoying a rexing stroll iernoon to stretch ys then.”

  “Exactly! It’s so warm these days for spring. It’d be a shame to waste them trapped inside.” There was a sly grin crawling up on Katsu’s lips as he began to enjoy his banter with Yuki.

  “I couldn’t agree more,” ughed Yuki. He was joined in bemused ughter by Katsu shortly after.

  Watg the two eain each other with pointless chatter made Haruo a little annoyed. However, Haruo became bored by their empty talk. “What do you want, Katsu?”

  Katsu turned his head back over to look towards Haruo, his eyes a little disappointed. “Same as always, kid. Never able to uand the fine subtlety of forepy.”

  “If you want to talk then I’ll just leave. I have no i in your talk.”

  “My, my, you really are quite the talkative one.” He started to walk forward towards Haruo. There was still a casual step in his movements. He was only warming up. Katsu towered over Haruo’s short stature. A wicked grin still pstered on his fabsp; “Nreeting to an old friend that you haven’t seen in years?”

  Haruo kept his sta intimidated. There might have been fear in him when he was younger fag Katsu, but not anymore. “You were never a friend. I don’t owe you anything.”

  “Such sharp words, kid! You should be gd that your skinny friend over there got me in a good mood.”

  “What do you want, Katsu? I’m tired of your iness.”

  “And you’ve got an attitude to boot. My those years in junih really must have ged you.” Katsu patted Haruo’s head befhing up his hair a little rigidly to try to shake him. “I remember when you were just a little brat that feared my very voice.” He could see that he was not getting anything out of Haruo. There was not even a hint of anger for being mocked. ‘He’s just staring back with those defiant eyes. He’s actually making me angry that he’s not doing anything!’

  “I’m not the same child you used to know, Katsu. Nor am I the same person your friends saw a short while ago.” Haruo gave him a fierce look standing toe-to-toe with his previous tyrant.

  Katsu stared back almost in amazement. ‘That’s not the same defiant look I beat down when he left. That’s not the same eyes that Takaoka gets his practice hits in on. What’s gotten into him?’ The sight of him only made Katsu more fused the longer he thought. It had set a fire to his aempting it to bee a boil.

  The air betweewo suddenly ged as though their mere proximity was freezing the air. It was cold ay leaving no room for anything else. Wind dared not to trespass around them. The casual mood from Katsu had utterly vanished with the i being clear from Haruo.

  Katsu stepped to the side of Haruo like he was sizing up his prey. “Your sy friend over there is correct,” opened Katsu. He started his way back toward his gang of boys. “I’ve e here hearing that someone came to rescue you from my boys’ practibsp; That was something I had to see for myself.”

  “What are you getting at? You came for your revenge on the ohat beat up yang.”

  “That part is true as I said. However, I easily send people to deal with a simple matter like that.”

  Haruo’s eyes narrowed in growing fusion. Evasiveness wasn’t a usual tactic of his. It had been years since Haruo had seen Katsu so he had to grant the possibility that Katsu had done some ging of his own. “So you didn’t e here to fight?”

  Laughter burst from Katsu’s lungs upon hearing Haruo speak. He turned his head back over his shoulder to g Haruo. “No, I came to put your fato the ground. That you be assured of. I wouldn’t e out all this way and not leave without making sure of that. But I have to admit some curiosity to see who this person is that came to your aid. You, the most anti-social, loner and pariah iire city, finding a friend.”

  Katsu turned around, pying up the motion a little dramatically for everyone. “That!” He had pointed over to Yuki, who had serious eyes now. “I had to see. Just so that I knew what it was that I was going to be taking away from you. So that I might see those beautiful defiant gray eyes of yours finally fall into despair!”

  Haruo remained quiet after Katsu finished making his procmation. Yuki, however, couldn’t remain still listening to the ravings ing from him. “Damn…you really see yourself as the vilin don’t you? You’re nearly a cliché!” He stepped forward a little, putting himself barely behind Haruht side.

  The ents from Yuki caught Katsu’s attention, making him smirk a little to see some bae from Yuki. “I know what I want. It’s simple as that, kid.”

  Yuki could see that the rest of the teenagers looked antsy. They looked ready to start something with only Katsu’s word to be given. However it seemed that they were even reag the edge of their patienbsp; The taste for blood was in their eyes like a mad animal. “We have to do something now, Haruo! The guy’s made it pretty clear what he pns on doing!”

  “Enough talking.” He took his position directly in front of Yuki to keep him to his babsp; “You’ve e here because of me. So leave him out of this.”

  “I don’t believe there’s ever been a point when you told me what to do, kid! And today isn’t any different!” Katsu motioo his boys giving them the signal.

  The boys that hadn’t beeen up by Yuki were the first to move. They were fresh and undaunted. Those boys that had been the receiving end of Yuki’s attacks were hesitant in making a move. Their waiting caused two groups to be uionally formed. Iag group, there were five boys all looking as rough and experienced in street fighting as the rest. They stalked in towards Haruo as he made sure to keep himself at the ter of attention.

  Haruo steeled himself to prepare for the assault that was ing for him. “Don’t you make a move,” called Haruo over his shoulder to Yuki.

  “What?! You ’t be serious, Haruo! There’s too many for you to deal with alone!” Yuki ignored what Haruo asked of him, but for being se he proved to be agile enough to prevent him from doing anything useful. “Haruo!”

  “I don’t need your help. I’m doing this alone.” There was no more time for talk as the five boys broke into a charge ohey finished fanning out. Haruo firmly pnted his feet into the earth trying to form the stro position. The number of fights he had been on the wrong side of gave him an eye for judging attacks. However, he knew with Yuki making things difficult for him that dodging wasn’t going to be an option. Haruo lifted up his left arm to deflect the outstretched arm.

  The group was forced to space their attacks, giving Haruo the timing to block each swing. Frustrated by failure, the boys kept close to him taking turns with kicks or punches with little success. Haruo mao keep them from making any progress against him and slowly vinced Yuki to calm down.

  Once Yuki backed away a little it gave Haruo even more room to work his defense. He blocked two high kicks ing in together that tried to throw him. While he focused owo boys in front the other three surrounded him from behind. They came in sequence charging with their fists to his hopeful blindside.

  Haruo noticed their absenbsp; He turo meet the first boy head on grabbing his fist. The boy became surprised and was taken off guard. His body followed forward in shock, jerking his arm at the elbow. The other two came up after crashing into the boy causing more damage to themselves than Haruo.

  Unfortunately, a successful block by Haruo wasn't enough momentum. The two boys that he had just stopped before were now behind him. These two took advantage of Haruo’s weakened position to y into his back attempting to drop him quickly. One of the boys let loose with a flurry of puo his shoulder bdes and bae while the other jabbed with his feet in the back of his knee.

  Haruo’s well built body took the blows and buckled a little uhe pain, but remained until he could escape with a well timed side jump. Their failures only further ehem, fetting pletely that Yuki was still present. These teenage gang members weren’t nearly as used to dealing with someone like Haruo as Takaoka’s group. It gave Haruo the advantage.

  Katsu watched in annoyance seeing that Haruo was holding his own against five of his boys. “Hey Taka! Thought you said he never puts up a fight.”

  Takaoka jerked his head over to Katsu in surprise. “Yea, I donno what’s goin’ on with ‘em, boss. The most he ev’ does is dodge us. I’ve ne’er seen him defend himself.”

  “Hmm…” Katsu looked behind him down towards the end of the grass street. He lifted up his hand and snapped his finger giving a signal to unseen gang members. “Always good to have insurance.” Ohey were in motion Katsu whistled to the group of boys trying to fight Haruo. The sharp pierg tune was enough to interrupt everyone bringing a pause to the fighting.

  Yuki narrowed his eyes trying to figure out what Katsu’s pn was. In the distance, he could see a few figures walking towards them. He was half expeg some brute of a fighter that was supposed to turn the fight around for them. However, his guess proved to be mispced when he saw a man in his te twenties or early thirties being escorted by three teenage punks. ‘I’m not liking where this is going…’

  Haruo caught a glimpse of the figures walking up to the rear of the mob of boys. His eyes immediately widehe moment he saw the man. “Mr. Asanuma…”

  Katsu allowed himself a wicked grin and brief ugh. “Don’t think that I don’t know about you. You might have thought you were free from me, but you never were. And now that weakness in you will be your undoing. I’d suggest stopping your defense if you don’t want to see this man e to harm.”