Chapter 3-Prelude

POV: Vera

"GODDAMMIT!!" I yelled as I destroyed my hologram clock as Freddy Kruger's picture yelled the time out loud while banging a dustbin with his claws.

I then checked my watch. It's 6:30 am. Last night really took a toll. Normally, I would wake up at 5 to torment Grey with acupuncture till 7 in the morning. I decided to check what he and the kid were doing.

As I walked out of the room, I groaned as I felt pain between my legs. I really should tell him to go softer next time. I took a few steps towards the dining room and heard a clang. I jumped up and headed towards the dining room, from it seemed like the sound was coming from. When I dashed in, there was no one there. I heard a series of clangs before hearing a grunt from the front yard. Thinking that Grey was fending off an intruder, I dashed to the yard while conjuring a wind flammard in my hand.

When I reached the front yard, I saw something I thought that I would never see. The moment I saw that scene, I bit my lip in both frustration and wonder. Grey was sparring with Firenze and with real swords. Grey was helping him up, which explains the grunt from earlier. Firenze's sword was a few feet behind him while my darling disciple held his sword in his left hand while helping Firenze with his right.

I stared at them in shock, since Grey wasn't the kind of person to socialize with anyone. I didn't know whether to feel frustrated because the mental wall I had built around Grey was cracking, or wonder considering that Firenze was showing signs of talent.

"Boy!" Grey roared, "Knife fights and sword fights are two completely different things. Techniques used in one don't apply to the other!"

"Sorry." he sighed as he picked up his sword and then took a weird stance. He raised his left hand in front of his chest, knuckles pointing outwards. His sword was held horizontally, a bit above his elbow behind his left hand. His right leg was forward and he was standing only on his toes.

Grey scratched his head and sighed, "Come on! This is the sixth time, boy!" He held the blade in his left hand and looked at Firenze with a stern expression. The boy sighed and stood his ground. Both of them made no attempt to move as they stood still, creating a thick tension which felt like it could be cut by a single movement. Then, the unexpected happened.

Grey was an opponent who would always stand still and slash away at vital points while making minimal movements. So it suprised me to see him dash forward before the boy. He raised his sword as he neared the boy, intending to hit him while raising the blade. Instead of retreating, the boy stepped forward and just when the blade was about to strike his chin, he pivoted himself and tried to strike Grey's hand. However, due to a difference in height, he missed and he tumbled onto the grass.

"You win." Grey sighed. "Now come, let's have breakfast."

I was puzzled. Grey clearly had an advantage, then why did he concede? "Grey, what do you mean?" I asked puzzled.

He turned to me and gave a curt bow. "Morning, Master Vera. Would you please look at my shoes?"

I looked down and realized what had happened. Grey's shoes were torn, indicating that he was stabbed there. So that's what he meant by Firenze winning, I thought.

"He was able to achieve the zone." Grey explained as he walked rigidly towards me. "I can easily tell that this kid will grow up to become a monster if trained properly."

I gave a smirk realizing the kid's potential. "So, you want to train him as well?"

"No." He sighed. "But, I want to spar with him once in a while. Now, time for breakfast." he rubbed his tummy as I chuckled. Grey can be kiddish at times. 

As we headed for the breakfast table, which consisted of boiled eggs, toasted bread, honey, blueberry muffins, milk and cereal, Firenze gaped at the food in front of him. Grey chuckled and sat down. Firenze sat next to him and I seated myself opposite to them. The moment Grey took out a plate for Firenze, the boy snatched a blueberry muffin and scarfed it down. Grey's jaw dropped while his face became petrified while I was internally wishing that etiquette wasn't required in this world so I could be carefree and not give a care for anything. However, I had to teach the kid, so I put up a displeased face.

"Firenze," I growled, "You are supposed to eat it elegantly like a wafer, not scarf it down from the top like an icecream speedeater"

"Tou r hetting phoo burried" He remarked, his voice muffled and distorted by the muffin in his mouth. He then gulped down the whole morsel in his mouth and proceeded to stuff the fucking paper in his mouth.

Grey whacked his back, which made him spit out the paper. "BOY! YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO EAT THE PAPER, GODDAMIT!" Firenze coughed as he spat out a muffin morsel into his plate.

"Guess someone needs to learn some manners, my, my!" I sighed with a soft, seductive voice to tease him. He looked at me with a red face and hid his face under the table.

Grey chuckled as he patted his back. "You'll get used to it, kid!" Firenze then looked up at him and gave him a wide, toothy grin.

"Eww, pervert!" he teased.

"If you apply that standard as pervertism, then you are a pervert too." He retorted calmly.

Firenze's face turned beet-red again. "No, I-" he started then cut himself off realizing that Grey was right. He covered his face with palms and hid himself under the table. We broke into roars and chortles. 

*

As I and Grey were cleaning up the table after breakfast and Firenze headed to his room to pack his bag for his first day of tutoring with Xeres, I was remembered the conversation I and Grey had last night before I met Desmond:

"You wanted to talk to me in private, Master Vera?"

"Yes I do. Protect the kid and be friends with him."

"Master, didn't you tell me to close my heart to the things I am attached to??"

"I never told you that. I told you to close your emotions only in battle."

"As for the kid, what are we going to do about him?"

"Kid's going to stay here. That's all."

I sighed in shame. Absolute shame in what I was doing. But I had no choice. He's just like me, I am just like him. But this kid.... he infuriates me like there's no tomorrow, but at the same time, his presence is.....comforting? Nah, it isn't comforting. What's the word?

"...Vera?" A voice called out to me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I frowned as my head turned towards Grey.

"May I know what is it?" I queried a polite manner, hiding my annoyance.

"The boy shall be leaving now. Do we have the taxi ready?" Grey smiled.

"You are smiling, Grey." I stated.

He then gave me a stare and his smile disappeared. I chuckled as Grey rarely smiled. Even then, the smile never seemed genuine as if he were wearing a mask. So, is this kid removing his mask? I pondered.

"I see. Grey, do you know that pedophilia is illegal and will gain you a five-year imprisonment at the least?" I chuckled. His face didn't show any changes, but his eyes showed a slight annoyance towards me, as if wanting to kill me.

He then sighed and turned around, "Kid, the taxi's here! Come down now!" He called out.

"Coming, you fatso!" Firenze grumbled from upstairs as Grey gave the ceiling a deadpan stare. He took out his hologramic phone (Hphone), turned it on as it shot out a hologram, kept it on the floor and stood on top of it. He peered into the hologram for a minute, then picked it up, turned it off and headed for the first floor. I waited for a minute before I heard a scream so shrill and loud that the glass broke as I shut my ears. I collapsed on the floor, panting in pain as my ears rang. I turned onto my back and checked my palms and I gasped in horror as blood came out of my ears.

*

POV: Grey

As I stormed up the stairs, I wondered if the kid was naturally cocky or if he was getting comfy here. Anyways, I needed to shut his trap. I am 182 centimeters with 75 kilograms, which equals to a BMI of 23.

When I entered his room, he had his new bag zipped up, implying that he had packed everything I had told him to. He looked at me with a sheepish grin on his face, implying that something was off.

"What is it, boy!" I barked with a gruff voice.

"Nothing." He shrugged.

I sighed. "Good, kid. Let's go." I then gave him a menacing look, which made him tilt his head towards his side out of curiosity. "We need to talk about weights, brat!"

"Hey, Grey!" he called out to me, "Augment your ears to muffle them. NOW!"

"May I know why? It better not be some trick to run away." I cocked my head.

"Just do it." He sighed.

"Alright. Abracadabra, close your eyes."

I augmented my ears so as to prevent my ears from breaking from whatever pandemonium this kid was about to unleash. Anyways, it's gonna be a failure whatever he was planning. I closed my eyes, expecting a flop of a show when....

BADOOM!

I jumped back from shock as my eyelids were ripped apart violently. I saw broken glass from the windows on the floor. I scanned for the brat and found him on the floor laughing, but with a metal stick in his hands?

"Ahahahahahaha!" He roared in laughter, tears formed in his eyes as he clutched his stomach with the stick. "Oh my god, gets them everytime. Every single time."

I also noticed something weird with his body. His body was covered in beautiful purple tattoos in a tribal pattern. They glowed so bright that they could be seen through his clothes. There were complex and detailed lines on his trunk, but on his limbs, the patterns were venous and branching out. There were some random markings here and there as well. They must have come from the stick because the markings on it glowed purple as well.

"What was that?" I snapped. It didn't make him stop right away, for even though he stopped rolling on the floor and was erecting himself, his eyes still showed amusement and he was coughing in laughs.

"First off, I am sorry *wheeze* *cough* *cough*." He began. "I *cough* used Yeoui to cause a sonic blast by chanelling ki from the staff *wheeze* *wheeze*. It's weird. It doesn't have a bit of ki yet it's supply seems endless."

"Yeah, but that doesn't explain the boom." I groaned.

"It's simple. I didn't do it." He smiled.

"Oh, I see." I nodded.

So it was worth saving that kid on a whim. Not only he has demonstrated good battle senses this morning when I taught him knife combat, but he has this crazy weapon. If my guess is correct, it is the same rod with which he pierced me with. This kid will make for an extremely powerful ally in the future.

Maybe.

Maybe.

Maybe I can finally take revenge for Director Willbeck with his help. But for now, I need to keep him concealed from evil eyes. He will be my sword.

Just then, I heard a roar from downstairs. My battle senses went up as I augmented myself with ki and got wind ki revolving in one hand.

"Hide the staff!" I barked at Firenze as I turned around. I then headed downstairs as the roars kept getting louder. When I arrived, I gasped.

Blood was leaking from Vera's ears like a trickling tap as her roars slowly subsided. I looked around and saw broken glass scattered around the windows. I didn't take long to figure out what happened here.

"I am calling an ambulance." I declared as I turned around and saw Firenze look at us with fear in his eyes, along with....malice? He looked like a completely different person now. His face showed an expression as if looking down on me. Where was that quiet and reserved kid that I knew of? Was he...scared?

"Do you hate me now?" He growled.