Strange Expert

Zack miraculously forced himself into Yamato and Shandy's life. Yamato and Shandy has been friends since they were eight, starting when Yamato joined the group of street fighters in his school, so at first it was odd to find a third person that likes to stick with them.

However Zack's carefree charisma and easy smile won them over. In Zack's on words; 'From two friends they became three, not a big deal.'

During school hours they'd stick together whenever possible; mostly during lunch breaks. After school hours they'd chat with each other before separating.

Two weeks passed like that. At first Yamato still followed his Fourth High friends to street fights a few times, but he never gets to fight which frustrated him greatly, that he decided not to go with them anymore a few days after his fight with Zack. It was only now that he understood the saying that a Street Fighter's fun ends after he forms his Astral weapon.

Once a Fighter manifests their Astral weapon they no longer fight on the Street but quickly join an organization or a guild. Well Yamato will also like to join a guild but he's too young for that. A person can only sign with a guild as a pro Fighter after he reach sixteen. Unfortunately Yamato is underaged for that at the moment. As for an organization, Yamato has no interest in being anyone's lap dog.

Needless to say Yamato found himself in a bad mood during the next few days, hardly responding to anything or even caring, which bothered his friends greatly. Especially Shandy, but she didn't know how to express herself so she pretended not to care.

"Hey Yama, do you still want to spar with me after school?"

The three friends were chatting in the school back garden during lunch break when Zack suggested that. Shandy had her notebook out doing homework but hearing that she snapped her head up. Filled with words in her heart but in the end she didn't say anything.

Yamato suddenly grabbed Zack on the shoulder in excitement. "You have changed your mind? You'll really spar with me?"

"Yeah.."

"Good," Yamato rose to his feet with a wide grin on his face. He'd asked Zack to fight his a few times but the other guy always makes excuses to refuse. Now he didn't know the reason the blond boy suddenly changed his mind but he didn't really care.

Like that it was decided that Zack will become Yamato's sparring partner.

'This battle head...' Shandy thought helplessly. She couldn't prevent it, yet she couldn't let the two to spar unsupervised, not after what they did last time. At last she decided the only way out is to go together with them, also they'll be rules.

And so the three decided to hangout after school for the first time.

When school finally let out they met up and set out to the nearest park. Dragon park, they call it. In the past it was a dragon liar or so the legends say. But who would believe that?

Anyway a dragon temple was built in the center of the park as the main attraction and it attracts a lot of tourists every year. Yamato and the others wouldn't go close to the temple, or anywhere tourist would find interesting though, as they didn't want to draw attention to themselves.

So they snuck in through the west gate as this part of the Dragon Park is neglected. The three picked an open space with a few benches at the side as the perfect place for a duel.

Shandy took a seat on a bench with her legs crossed under her pleated skirt and faced the boys that stood opposite each other. "Try first without your weapons," she said.

"Hey wouldn't that put me at a disadvantage?" Zack complained. "I fight better with a sword,"

"Just do as you are told, Yamato will fight with only his legs. No punches,"

"Wait are you crazy?!" It was Yamato's time to complain.

"Try it first before you decide if it is good or not," Shandy replied calmly. "And you can use your hands to defend if you must, you just can't attack with it."

Yamato thought about it. "....That sounds doable,"

Shandy pursed her lips. "You know I am only trying to help right? Zack depends too much on his sword, while you depend too much on your fists. This way you can all fight out of your comfort zone. A good fighter should consider his whole body as a weapon and trains it,"

"That's deep, where did you hear it?"

"My grandfather told me that,"

"Your grandfather is a fighter?" Zack asked.

Shandy nodded. "But he's retired now. Enough of that, don't let me distract you from your fight. Yama remember, no attacking with your hands!"

"I know," Yamato grumbled in irritation. "Stop bugging me,"

Shandy's expression was unchanged. "Ready? One, two, three, go!"

Yamato rushed towards Zack. He leaped up and came flying with a forward kick. Zack ducked under the kick, he twisted his body then struck out with a karat chop, his palm stretched straight like a blade. Dropping back on his feet Yamato leaned back slightly to avoid.

"What's that technique?" He said.

"This?" Zack grinned, falling into a strange stance with his hands close to his face, palm facing up and fingers pointing forward. "This is the blade hand technique, one of the branches of the blade arts I practice,"

"Blade hands? Martial artists even teach that?"

"Martial art covers every type of fighting technique,"

"Is there a boxing technique?"

Zack gave him a funny look. "That's very common you know."

"Yeah," Shandy added. "Besides the sword arts, boxing is the most practiced martial arts. Though it's mostly practiced by those that can't create an Astral weapon so they can defend themselves,"

"So martial arts is this profound," Yamato said in wonder. Unlike other Street Fighters he is curious about the official way of teaching how to fight. Well it is not like he didn't look down on them for their lack of experience unlike Street Fighters that grow after many real battles.

Zack shrugged. "Martial arts is to teach one the best way to use a technique."

"But it's very expensive to learn," Shandy added.

"Well I wouldn't join a martial art school even if it is free," Yamato said.

'How naive,' Zack sneered in his mind but said nothing outwardly. To him Yamato is a good fighter and a worthy opponent, that's all that matters. What Yamato actually thinks isn't his problem. But he secretly thought it was a pity; with real Masters polishing his skill Yamato would have been very powerful. At that time Zack isn't sure he can fight him to a draw again.

After that they continued the fight. This time Yamato didn't just rush forward, wary of the speed of Zack's hand blades that didn't fade much to real blades. Instead he let Zack get on the attack which to draw him in so he can defend and even counterattack without much risks.

There were a few times when Yamato forgets and sends a punch by habit. But those were few occasions. Mostly Yamato fought handicapped.

The funny thing though, was that the first time Yamato forgot and threw a punch, he'd knocked Zack out flat. It took a few seconds to wake the blond guy, and a few more minutes of apologizing before they could continue.

The two boys sparred all through the afternoon. Both were battle maniacs after all. They exchanged moves swiftly for hours and were only forced to stop when when Shandy told them she's leaving.

Sweating heavily Yamato bent forward resting his hands on his knees. He looked up towards Shandy that called out to him just now but found that her attention wasn't on him anymore, instead she was staring at a particular direction.

Curious, Yamato traced her gaze he saw a man standing in the distance. This man didn't come from the west gate, where Yamato and his friends entered the park from, but from deeper inside the Dragon park. As if sensing Yamato and Shandy's gaze the man that was idly looking around started walking towards them with his hands in his pocket and a lazy smile on his face.

Yamato felt a chill down his spine. Something about the man made him uncomfortable. As if he is a simple prey facing a predator.

"Do you know that man?" Zack asked with some apprehension.

"I don't," Yamato replied tracking the man's movement with his eyes. He finally got a good look of the man as he came closer.

The stranger was a slender dark haired young man in well cut black suit. The suit looked good on him but he left a few buttons open revealing the white shirt under. Other than that, the collar of the shirt was popped up straight, his hair was messy, and the coat was squeezed and wrinkled. Even though the young man was obviously wearing an expensive suit he actually looked like a delinquent.

"You brats don't tire of fighting?" The young man stopped in front of the kids and said. "Last time you were trying to kill each other, and now you go at each other's throat,"

"Who are you?" Yamato asked with a frown, trying to remember where he met this man. But he had no memory of it.

"You..." Shandy rose to her feet. "Are you the senior that intervened at that time?"

The young man smirked. "You are very preceptive. Yes I was the one that saved these brats... That day I was just passing by when I saw some fools trying to throw their lives away. Frankly I was half in mind to break their legs after stopping them. Alas...." He sighed regretfully. "That would have caused a big scene..."

Hearing the man's words Yamato and Zack felt a chill travel down their spines. Shandy was as unworried as always, she bowed to the man. "Thank you for saving Yamato that day, may I know your esteemed identity senior?"

"Quite polite ain't you?" The young man sighed. "I am called Banker. Well, I have business elsewhere, be careful how you play kids, Astral weapons are not toys, they can break you apart if not used wisely,"

Then the man walked past them, further into the park, disappearing from sight into the woods further away.

Left alone the three kids looked at each other.

"Creepy," Zack said.

"He's not half as creepy as Shandy though. Ouch!" Yamato winced as Shandy prodded him with a pen on the arm in retaliation. He quickly drew away from her before rubbing his arm and continued. "I say we follow him,"

"Are you crazy?" Shandy immediately rebuked. "You want us to follow a strange but powerful expert into the forest?"

"It is the woods inside the park not the Sirat forest," Yamato argued. "And you can't say you are not curious what he's doing here,"

Shandy still looked unimpressed.

"If you two don't want you can go back, I'm definitely taking a look," Yamato added with finality. "Are you coming?"

Shandy and Yamato stared at each other quietly, no one willing to back down.

"Why don't we vote on it?" Zack asked with a bright smile.

"What's your opinion Zack?" Shandy asked.

Zack grinned. "I think Yamato is right, who knows what that guy is doing in there? As Yamato said, you can't tell me you are not even a little curious,"

Shandy frowned. "This is dangerous, spying on a powerful expert, do you two have any sense in you? What am I saying, you don't. Fine I will come along but we retreat at the first sign of danger," It could have been regarded as a scolding if she didn't say it so matter of factly that it ironically sounded like she didn't mean it. Thus it lacked any sting.

"Deal," Yamato smiled.

Thus it was decided that the three would follow the strange expert into the woods.

[[[

Author's note: If you like this novel please vote, like or leave a review!