An Assassin's Respite

Head of the Three Dragons

“So why did he do it?” Haruka asks. 

“Kazuna is, or more like was the head of the infamous assassins clan, the three dragons. And he was tasked with assassinating both Mr. and Mrs. Itsuki.” She answers. 

“An assassin?” Shiba asks. 

“I thought that there was some possibility that he was an assassin before coming to GA, but to think he was part of such a historic clan.” Akeno replies. 

"I've never heard of them." Chiyo says.

"Their name is never explicitly listed in any history books, but there are multiple accounts of important leaders or famous warriors being murdered with no witnesses. At first glance, it's difficult to connect them, but there's always a mention of a dragon. I did some research on dragons and found an old legend that stated that a dragon would sneak into the homes of the wicked to punish them." Akeno says.

"I've heard of that, my mom used to tell me that story when I would get in trouble." Emiko chimes in.

"It's clear that it wasn't merely a legend, and if that's the case then Kazuna's strength makes sense. But, how could Kazuna live such a life and never be found out?" Akeno asks.

“He may have been a child and not as strong as he is now, but when you're the perfect assassin, you kill your target before strength comes into play. Thanks to his killer instinct, speed, and overall skill as an assassin, nobody has ever survived an encounter with him and there have never been any witnesses that could give a description of him.” She answers. It seemed that at every turn they were told something more shocking than before. At this point, it felt that nothing could surprise them, but they were wrong

“Well, you are right about that. For an assassin, Kazuna is quite an outlier, but that is his fate. As the head of the clan, he has been held to some extremely rigorous training and standards. He didn’t have time for making friends or playing as a normal kid would. His days were filled with training in hand-to-hand combat, stealth, and assassination. When he wasn't training for combat, he was being tutored in math, history, science, etc. Perfection was the expectation, not the goal.” Ms. Katsuchi adds. 

“I can’t believe Kazuna had such a difficult past.” Emiko says. 

“Yeah, I feel bad for the guy.” Shiba adds. 

“Surely there was someone that could have taken over the responsibilities of the clan?” Akeno asks.

“His grandfather, the previous head, was murdered before Kazuna was 9. Since my father didn't produce any children that could wield the signature swords of our clan, the duty fell upon the shoulders of Kazuna. Truth be told, I tried to take over once my father passed, but Kazuna wouldn't allow it. He said he had a duty to uphold now that my father was no longer alive. I should have put my foot down and taken charge. Maybe things could have gone better for him.” She answers, silencing the entire room. 

For Kazuna to have that much weight on his shoulders was unbelievable. The silence is broken by Ms. Katsuchi who begins the conversation again. 

“Well, it seems I have left you all somewhat speechless so I guess I will ask my question.” She says and begins to bow her head. “Please I beg of you, help my son.” She pleads, shocking everyone in the room. 

“Us rescue Kazuna? Shouldn’t you be the one to save him?” Emiko asks. 

“Yes, you’re right. But I am not a fighter. My power only grants me night vision and as for the clan... Kazuna has been marked as somewhat of a traitor after he left a few years ago. I could maybe get one or two to help, but there’s no telling what the others would do if they found out he had been captured. They may even try to vie for the position of head of the clan and go for Kazuna’s head.” She explains. 

“So Kazuna can only rely on us?” Shiba asks. 

“Yes. You all are all he has.” She says.

Kagura who has been silent this entire time goes to say something but gets choked up. So much was swirling through her head that it was making her dizzy. She felt as if she was going to pass out. There was suddenly too little space in the room, she felt trapped like the walls were holding her hostage. She had to get out of there and without hesitation, she instantly left for her room. 

“Kagura?” Her mother says while following her. 

“So it’s like that.” Ms. Katsuchi says to herself. She turns her attention back to those that were still there. “So, will you help him?” She asks once more. 

Everyone was silent. They were all students still attending school, what help would they be against the guy that even Kazuna couldn’t beat? Shiba clutches his fist and looks at Ms. Katsuchi. 

“I-I’ll help.” He answers with a determined look in his eyes. Everyone turns to him, surprised by his declaration. 

“But Shiba, what can we do I mean, we’re just students?” Chiyo asks. 

“It’s not a matter of what we can or can’t do but what we should do. Kazuna has done so much for us. He’s trained us in combat and tutored us in school. And on that day the school was attacked if it weren’t for Kazuna who knows what would have happened to the rest of us. He knew that they were after him, but instead of running he stayed because he knew we would be in danger if he ran.” Shiba proclaims. 

“But how do we know if he’s even still alive?” Akeno asked. Everyone goes silent. They hadn’t even thought of the possibility that he could be dead.

“I can assure you that he is still alive even if barely. This dragon here is proof.” She says as a snake-like dragon appears on her shoulder. “This here is Karma. He is a dragon that resides in one of Kazuna’s swords.” She explains. 

“I am pleased to make your acquaintance.” The dragon politely said. 

“Woah, is that a real dragon?!” Emiko shrieks with excitement. 

“Yes, it is. This dragon is linked to Kazuna, so at all times he will know where Kazuna is and vice versa. Also, if Kazuna were to die, so would Karma. Well, it might be more accurate to say that he will be put into a slumber for a while.” Ms. Katsuchi explains. 

“So, this dragon is basically a direct tie to Kazuna’s lifeline?” Akeno states. 

“Correct.” Ms. Katsuchi replies. 

“Then why is he here and not with Kazuna?” Akeno asks. 

“That’s because he was delivering a letter from Kazuna to me but that isn’t important right now. Karma, what type of state is Kazuna in?” Ms.Katsuchi asks. 

“It is not looking good. His life force is dwindling. He probably only has about another week or two left before he dies.” Karma answers.

Once again the room is silent. They found out Kazuna was alive only to be told he has about another week or two left. Ms. Katsuchi crosses her arms and lets out a deep sigh. 

“I didn’t expect things to be this bad. To think he would be reduced to such a state.” She says. 

“So… So what do we do now?” Emiko asks. 

“That depends. How serious are you about rescuing him? It will not be easy and with the short amount of time we have, the training you will have to go through will have to be more strenuous than you or I would like. Are you prepared for that?” Ms. Katsuchi asks. They all look at each other, ensuring that they’re all on the same page before responding in unison. 

“Yes, ma’am!”

Upstairs, Kagura was lying on her bed with her face buried in her pillow. She was confused. So many emotions were swirling through her that she didn’t know how to feel. 

“I thought it was weird how mom wouldn’t go into detail about how dad died. I always thought that it was just some horrible lab accident, but she was trying to protect Kazuna. Why? I understand that he saved both of our lives, but still he killed dad. That’s unforgivable.” She says burying her face deeper into the pillow. There’s a knock on her door. 

“Kagura. I'm coming in.” Mrs. Itsuki says as she opens the door. She sits on the edge of Kagura’s bed. They’re silent for a while before Kagura speaks up.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She asks. 

“I didn’t want you to harbor any hatred or seek revenge. Those things would change you into someone that you’re not. I didn’t want that, and your father wouldn’t want that either.” Mrs. Itsuki answers. 

“Even so. I have a right to know the truth.” Kagura replies. 

“You may have a point there, but if possible I would have liked you to live your life not being the wiser. Kazuna however, wanted you to know the truth, he just didn’t know how or when he should tell you. He felt that robbing you of that knowledge would be inexcusable. He had always planned to tell you when he found the right time and the right words. He was also prepared to offer you his head if you so desired.” Mrs. Itsuki explains.

Kagura squeezes her pillow. “It's not like I want him dead. It’s just…” She mutters, unable to find the words she’s looking for. To be honest she didn't know what she wanted. Did she want him turned into the authorities? Sentenced to death? Did she really want revenge for her father? And would she want to attain it through her own hands? These questions were flooding her head and at the moment, she had no way of answering any of these questions. 

“I understand that you’re confused. You’re not sure of what you want or should do. You don’t know how to feel or how you should feel. Honestly, I was the same at first. But as I got to know Kazuna better I began to feel for him. He wasn’t a bad kid. He was sweet, kind, and funny. Sometimes when you catch him off guard he starts making jokes and it's pretty cute to see his embarrassed expression when he realizes it. He wanted to do good for the world, but due to his lineage and events from his past, he went astray. He was a kid that was lost and he had nobody to get him back onto the right path. It became clear to me. What I wanted to do was help him. He was filled with so much sadness and he didn’t have anyone he could trust so he fought for himself, by himself, unsure of what he was fighting for. I couldn’t just leave him like that.” Mrs. Itsuki finishes.

They sit in silence for a bit before Mrs. Itsuki gets up. “Well, there’s no point in sitting here and mulling over our thoughts. The only way you can clear your confusion is to confront Kazuna right?” She states as she heads to the door. 

“By now Ms. Katsuchi is probably formulating a plan, so if you want some clarity, then head downstairs and listen closely. I’m sure Ms. Katsuki will have a plan for rescuing Kazuna.” She says as she leaves the room leaving Kagura alone.

She sat in her room in silence for a while, trying to get her thoughts together and figure out what she should do. After a couple of minutes, she got up and headed for the door where she stood in front of it for a few seconds with her hand hovering above the doorknob for a few seconds before she takes a deep breath and opens the door with her mind made up. She joins everyone in the living room just as everyone else had agreed to rescue Kazuna. Ms. Katsuchi smiles as Kagura takes a seat. 

“Good, now that we’re all here I’ll go over the details of the plan that I've come up with.” She starts.