An Assassin's Respite

The Top Agent Trains Class 1-A

The next day, Kagura could tell that Kazuna was on edge. It was hard to tell, but there was a slight difference in the way he looked and walked. His face was a little sterner and his hand which was usually hovering above his swords seemed to have a more aggressive look. Something must have happened or something must have made him feel uneasy. Once they dropped Kari off at school and got settled into homeroom, she leaned over to ask him about it.

"Something's bothering you, right?" She suggests more than asks.

Kazuna nods.

"I've been feeling a pair of eyes watching us since yesterday," He answers.

"Really?" She asks in surprise. 

"Whoever it is is pretty good, they aren't trying to be completely hidden, they want me to know that they're watching. Despite that, I can't pinpoint where they're watching from," He answers.

"But wouldn't it be better for them to stay hidden so that they can attack when you least expect it?" She asks.

"Maybe if it were someone else, but I'm usually on my guard. Them making their presence known opens many possibilities. They're just observing, they're waiting to attack when Kari and I are separated out of school, they're keeping me tense so I can't rest, they're baiting me to attack. There's just no way to be sure," He replies.

Once again, Kagura was left speechless by the thought process of Kazuna. She would have simply thought that their stalker was pursuing them poorly, but Kazuna had thought of multiple possibilities and was preparing for each of them. But, despite her awe, she felt sorry for him. That line of thinking was only possible because of the harsh training he went through and the fact that he must have been victim to at least a few of the possibilities he named. It really emphasized the different environments they grew up in.

While they were talking, Yuu had apparently walked into their classroom. She had nearly forgotten that they were going to do training with him. She had meant to tell Kazuna about it since they were told about it on one of the days he was gone, but she had been preoccupied with finding him unconscious and his situation with Kari.

"I thought he wasn't in Japan," Kazuna says.

"It did seem weird that Ms. Saugoma would say we were going to train with Yuu at the same time he wasn't in Japan, so maybe he got back today?" Kagura suggests.

"This training isn't going to be anything special, it's just to show you what it takes to be the best in Japan," Yuu says.

Yuu scans the room until he locks eyes with Kazuna. He had a displeased look on his face. It was clear that he had done something that upset him. Whatever he did, he wasn't looking forward to how it would affect him in the training. Ms. Saugoma ushers the class out of the room and towards the arena. They get changed and head out to the field where Yuu was waiting in the center. They were going to take turns sparring with him with Matt, Kagura, Ria, and Kazuna going last in that order. 

Shiba was first and he was less than ecstatic about it.

"So do I just come at you?" He asks.

"Yes, but why don't I give you a way to win. If you can land a hit, then you win," Yuu states.

"Do I get anything if I win?" Shiba asks.

"Hmm, how about I become your teacher. Not at school, but more as a personal one. I'll teach you everything I can to make you the best special agent you can be," Yuu offers.

"I like the sound of that," Shiba says.

"Of course, my offer goes for everyone else as well," Yuu says while looking over at the rest of the class who was watching from the sides.

This declaration pumped everyone up. The idea of being trained personally by someone who was at the top of special agents in Japan and considered the top agent in the world was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"As for rules, we'll have Ms. Saugoma count us down and the loser is decided when either you're unable to continue or if you land an attack on me. Sound good?" Yuu states.

"Peachy," Shiba says.

"Good. Now, shall we get started?" Yuu asks.

Shiba nods as he readies himself and Ms. Saugoma signals for them to start. A single drop of sweat fell from his chin. In that instant, Yuu teleported to Shiba, kneed him in the gut, and sent him flying all before Shiba's sweat hit the ground. The students could only look in awe, well except for Kazuna who already knew what Yuu's power was.

"I'm assuming you know what happened?" Akeno suggests.

"Yeah, but you're no different either," Kazuna states.

Akeno smiles at this statement.

"Ah, will you two quit the 'It's obvious what's happening' thing and just tell us what happened?" Matt exclaims.

Kazuna places a hand on his shoulder and gives him a thumbs up with his patent blank expression.

"You've got this," He says.

"Come on, please," Matt pleads.

"Figure it out on your own, that's the point," Kagura states.

"Huh, Really?" Matt asks, but Kagura was already looking back at the center of the arena.

Kazuna also looks back towards Yuu who had finished swiftly dispatching Haruna. He continued to watch as every subsequent fight ended with similar results. Haruka with a right jab to the stomach, Akeno with a left jab in the face, Ayame with a palm to the chest.

"He's ending these fights quickly to show the difference in strength while allowing the upcoming students to use what they've seen so far to attempt to formulate a strategy," Kazuna notes to himself as Matt takes a right kick to the face meaning Kagura was up next.

"Now, what strategy have you come up with?" He thinks to himself.

Kagura stands in the center and readies herself. Ms. Saugoma signals for them to start and Kagura instantly surrounds herself with a sphere of wind.

"She's trying to stop me from attacking by surrounding herself with her wind. Not a bad idea," Yuu notes.

"I doubt it'll stop his attacks, but at least I can defend faster," She says to herself.

Just as she finishes this thought, Yuu appears next to her and connects with a punch to the ribs. 

"I-I can't move. How did he get through my wind without opening the sphere? Was he so fast that the wind couldn't move before his attack went through? Or, did he... teleport!?" Kagura thinks to herself. 

The realization that he possibly could have teleported was one that she hadn't considered. Yuu helps her to the side.

"Your strategy wasn't a bad one, you just came to the wrong conclusion. You can only gain so much from your eyes. In combat is when you gather real information," Yuu explains.

The statement only confirmed what Kagura had assumed made Kazuna such a great fighter. He had been in countless real-life battles and had gained a wealth of experience that allowed him to think and act on a level that was on a different playing field than the rest of them.

"Now, who's next?" Yuu asks.

"I'll pass. I'm not too keen on fighting just to get knocked around," Ria states.

"You aren't even going to try?" Kagura asks.

"I was taught to never fight a losing battle," Ria says.

"Well, can't really blame her, I am the one that drilled that into her," Kazuna says.

"Then you're next?" Yuu surmises.

"Guess so," Kazuna says as he walks to the center of the arena.

Yuu gets into his spot after Kazuna. Everyone was on full alert. This was what they were waiting for Kazuna vs. Yuu. Kazuna gets into a stance, but he didn't have a hand on his sword. His legs were perfectly spread and his hip was centered. His right arm was in front of him with his hand near his face while his left arm was hovering around waist level. His stance was perfect for offense and defense.

"Why don't we make this more interesting?" Yuu says.

"How so?" Kazuna asks.

"Well, you already know my power, so half of this training loses its purpose. But, without a doubt, I"ll still win," Yuu states.

"Are you sure about that?" Kazuna asks.

"Yes, because you won't use your full strength. So, here's what we'll do. If you lose without showing us something new, you have to leave Ga," Yuu says.

The whole class gasps at this statement.

"You can't be serious," Kagura says.

"He'd never agree to that," Matt states.

"Fine then," Kazuna says.

"Huh-!?" Matt exclaims in surprise.

"But If I'm going to have to take such a risk then I want something of equivalent value." He states.

"And what would that be?" Yuu asks.

"If I win, you just have to live with the fact that I'm a student of GA." He answers.

"Seems fair considering what I asked for." Yuu agrees.

"If you lose, you'll have to leave Ga. Are you sure about this Kazuna?" Kagura asks.

"That's only if I lose," Kazuna answers.

Kagura gives him a worried look. He sounded confident, but she could tell from his body language that he wasn't even the least bit sure he could win. She decides to keep quiet and trust Kazuna. Ms. Saugoma looks between the two to make sure they're ready before signaling for them to start.

Kazuna instantly shrouds himself in lightning to increase his reactions and overall speed, but Yuu was faster than he expected. He appeared behind him and was able to kick him in the stomach before he was able to defend himself. Yuu teleports once more and appears in front of Kazuna. this time, Kazuna was able to block the punch Yuu threw, but he was unable to counter.

"Even with increasing my speed, he's still too fast. Should I go on the offensive? No, he can just teleport from my attacks. Do I try and constantly discharge lightning? No, he can just wait for me to run out of energy," Kazuna racks his brain, desperately trying to think of a way to counter Yuu's teleportation and incredible speed.

While he was deep in thought, Yuu appeared to his right, fakes a left punch before kneeing Kazuna in his ribs. Kazuna drops to his knees, gasping for air.

"If you don't do something soon, you'll lose," Yuu states.

Kazuna goes for a low sweep, but Yuu teleports above him and drives his knees into his back.

"Come on, you're faced with losing everything and you can't even muster the resolve to at least try? I thought that you were going to do everything in your power to keep them safe. To me, it looks like you'll only do as much as you care to," Yuu says.

Yuu was only talking loud enough for the two of them to hear. It was clear that this was what he had in store for him.

"I will protect them," Kazuna says as he tries to get up.

Yuu jumps from his back and kicks him away.

"With that half-hearted desire? You can't even protect yourself, so how can you expect to protect others? You'll only bring them pain, look," Yuu says.

Kazuna looks over to his classmates. They were looking at him with sad expressions on their faces. 

"That look on their faces is because of you. They're watching in helplessness, unable to do anything but hope that you can pull through with all their hearts. Yet you fight with half as much as heart as they have belief in you. Are you still unable to give it everything you have knowing that that look of sadness will stay on their faces even after you leave?" Yuu asks.

Kazuna closes his eyes, grits his teeth, and clenches his fists.

"But-but, I'm not sure if I should be allowed to," He says to himself.

"Why isn't he using his other powers?" Kagura asks.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ria says.

"Do you know the reason?" Kagura asks.

"Duh, it's because of you," She says in an annoyed tone.

"Because of me? But why?" Kagura asks.

"Beats me," Ria says.

"You've got this Kazuna," Someone shouts.

Kauzna opens his eyes and rests them on Kagura, the one that had shouted.

"Yuu thinks he has you on the ropes, but I know, we all know that you can do this. I don't know why you won't use them, but if you don't use them now and abandon us and Kari then, then I'll never forgive you," Kagura states.

Kazuna's eyes widen in awe. As he gazed at her, it felt as if a light was emitting from her.

"So bright. You truly are the light that led me out of the darkness," He says to himself.

He slowly gets to his feet and looks Yuu in the eyes with newfound determination.

"Aright Yuu, you wanted to see something new, right?" He asks.