Until we keep our promise part II

One year earlier.

"How many times do I have to repeat it, Izuru?"

A tall, elegantly dressed man spoke as he looked at Izuru, who was wearing a tuxedo, although his tie was slightly crooked.

"This is an important dinner, Izuru. You're a Kamubura; you must learn to behave and dress accordingly."

"I'm sorry, Father," Izuru said, trying to straighten his tie.

"You're being too hard on the boy, don't you think, Enso?"

The voice came from another tall, well-built man, almost identical to Enso, except for his black hair.

"Let me help you, Zuzu."

"He's my son, the son of Enso Kamubura, and I'll treat him as such."

"Hmph. Izuru, you can always count on me. When the whole world is against you, you'll always have your uncle by your side."

Izuru responded with a warm smile at his uncle.

"Let's go already; we're running late," Enso interrupted, heading toward the limousine.

"It's only five o'clock, Enso. Doesn't the dinner start in two hours?"

"If we arrive just on time, we're late. You'd know that if you behaved like a Kamubura, Reiji."

"Don't make me insult you in front of your wife and kids. Izuru and I will take my car; we'll get there sooner that way."

"Don't kill my son, and make sure you're on time," Enso said before getting into the limo.

"Come on, Zuzu."

On the way, Reiji glanced sideways at Izuru, who was looking out the window.

"Are they still bullying you?" Reiji asked bluntly, pressing the gas pedal a bit more.

"Huh?"

"Come on, Zuzu. Did you really think I wouldn't notice the makeup your mother put on you? Is it because you still don't have an amok?"

Izuru sighed. "Yes. Sanemi already awakened his amok, and it's pretty powerful."

"Why should I care?"

"Eh?"

"Sanemi and I don't get along. He's like Enso, but younger and much more talented. Of course, I worry about him, but right now, you're the one I'm concerned about."

"I'm fine. No matter what happens, nothing will break me… because I'm a Kamubura."

"The Kamubura name can go to hell. You're still a kid; they shouldn't be treating you like an adult, no matter how talented you are. Izuru, be free. Don't make the same mistake I made by not escaping the burden of our name in time."

End of flashback.

Back in the present, Izuru looked up, where Ryuuzen stood over him with a smug smile.

"If I lose here… If that god loses interest in me, I'll have to go back to that place…"

Chapter 5 part II: Until we keep our promise.

"What are you mumbling down there?" Ryuuzen sneered, winding up a kick to end the match.

Wham! The kick was blocked.

"Huh?"

"Get lost, bastard!" Izuru shouted, gripping Ryuuzen's leg tightly.

"What would my uncle do in this situation?" he thought, as Ryuuzen struggled, kicking at him with sharp, quick strikes.

Bam! Bam! Ryuuzen kicked fiercely until Izuru had to release him to dodge the final blow.

"Ahh, of course," Izuru murmured before attempting a leg lock. Ryuuzen, however, reacted just in time, slipping away before he could be caught.

"Crazy bastard! Did you actually try to put me in a leg lock?" Ryuuzen shouted, his tone full of disbelief and fury.

Izuru didn't answer. Instead, he charged again. "First, I'll gauge the distance with a few jabs."

Whap! Whap! Whap! The quick punches failed as Ryuuzen shoved him back with a powerful kick.

Thud! Izuru barely managed to block the kick.

"Then I'll use my surroundings," he thought, glancing at the ground. When he was close enough, he kicked up dirt, sending sand into Ryuuzen's eyes.

"Well done, kid from Rain!" the old man Liu shouted in excitement.

"Shut up, old man! You're making it hard to concentrate," Sae muttered, a slight smile on his face as he watched Izuru's strategy unfold.

"It worked!" Izuru thought. "Now, I'll finish this with a combo!"

Seeing Ryuuzen stagger, covering his eyes, Izuru drove his elbow with all his strength toward Ryuuzen's solar plexus. Then, without a pause, he pivoted and delivered a hard kick to Ryuuzen's shin, weakening his stance.

"So you plan to cripple his legs instead of breaking his defense? At least this one has brains," Sae remarked, watching the fight with interest.

"What's wrong, bastard? Weren't you planning to win this fight?" Izuru taunted as he hammered against Ryuuzen's guard.

"I'm going to" Crack! Ryuuzen's fist struck Izuru's nose, cutting off his words.

"Did you really think your dirty tricks would win you this fight? I'll tear you apart, kid."

Even though Ryuuzen's eyes were red and irritated from the sand, he forced them open, ready to finish the match.

"Come here, you bastard! I'll show you why I'm the one chosen by God!" Izuru yelled, raising his middle finger at Ryuuzen before rushing at him again.

However, Ryuuzen's eyes couldn't handle it anymore, and he was forced to shut them momentarily to clear the irritation. Izuru seized the chance and moved in to strike.

"Hehe," Ryuuzen chuckled. Opening his eyes, he grinned: his pain was just a ploy.

Whoosh! His headbutt barely missed, and when Izuru tried to back away, Ryuuzen stomped down hard on Izuru's foot, immobilizing him. Izuru fell forward, narrowly avoiding Ryuuzen's left hook meant to end him.

"I admit, Izuru has incredible focus," Robert commented, watching the match intently.

"That's normal; he was one of the ones who dodged the most rocks in the second trial," Pyo Wol remarked, intrigued by this new side of Izuru.

But in Izuru's mind, everything was chaos. "That punch barely missed me… Move your damn leg already!" he thought, frustrated. Without hesitation, he drove his knee with all his strength into Ryuuzen's groin.

AUGH! The onlookers cringed. Even Leonard felt a shiver down his spine.

"Piece of crap!" Ryuuzen shouted, readying a powerful kick, but when he saw Izuru winding up for another strike to his groin, he backed away.

Then, everyone saw it: a deep cut on Izuru's eyebrow, bleeding profusely and making him look both fierce and vulnerable.

"Leonard is stepping in," Hyu noted, watching the instructor move toward the center of the platform. "If he thinks Izuru's injury could worsen and cause problems later, he'll probably stop the fight, and Ryuuzen will take the win."

Leonard examined Izuru's wound carefully, assessing the situation… until

End of chapter.