> "The absence of a person, whom we love, increases our knowledge of him, and of ourselves."
> — Friedrich Nietzsche
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"Hey shadow" Leo and Amila called, a smiled curved around their faces as they did, they were on a swing close to a river and ruke was standing just behind them.
Taking some steps to get to them he found them a little further than the were earlier, what the hell was going on, he attempted trying to get to them again but they got further away.
"Why can't I get to them?"he thought attempting this for the third time but this time they within his reach, exhaling exhaustedly ruke placed a hand on anila's shoulder but the impact forced her head off.
"DO IT!.....DO IT!!....DO IT!!!..."the head on the floor screamed.
Ruke immediately withdrew from touching her not because he was afraid but because he felt extreme guilt knowing he was the one who killed her.
"Why?...why?...why?....."ruke raged angrily trying to shake the scene in front of him away, turning around he found Leo lying on the floor, his body slashed open on the floor while his blood painted the entire floor ruke was standing on.
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"It was all a dream huh? *Sighs exhaustedly*"ruke huffed, maybe his guilt was getting to him, he still couldn't forgive himself or find peace for what he had done to his friends, why was it him who had been chosen to be a doushin, why wasn't it once of them. He really didn't mind dying.
[Being happy is an option]
[Not everything is perfect, you can still find beautiful things and pleasant experience sometime later]
Did uda really stop being sad after all that?, did she mean those words she said or was she just hiding the grief within her? He huffed when a loud thud made pulled him out from the deep solace of his thoughts. As soon as he heard the thud he walked out of his room and put the house, he wanted to know just what that was he had heard.
Outside he could see some men standing around and there on the floor anila was being dragged along by her hair while uda who tried getting her loose was pushed merely escaping with a graze as she hit the floor hard.
"Let her go..., take...take me...just please let her go"uda begged for her daughter to be released but the men refused laughing at uda's plea
"What the hell do we need you for? *Laughs*, you're just an old lady, we don't need you....., your daughter's still young and good looking infact, I'm quite sure she'll fetch us a lot of money" one of the men replied, he stood in front of the gate, ruke could tell with by glance that was their leader, as he wore some expensive dress seperating differentiating himself from the thugs in front of him. Ruke felt disgust at his comment and without a second thought he reacted walking towards uda who still laid on the floor.
"Are you ok?"he asked helping her up while completing ignoring the presence of the men in front of him
"I'm ok....please....don't let them take her away"uda pleaded tears rolling down her weak chin
"I don't plan on letting them"ruke replied his facial expression not changing as he stared at the men infront of him, he could count twenty if not more of them including the boss.
"hey stranger....our business isn't with you get lost or face the consequences" the boss threatened his expression revealing impatience.
"Let her go"ruke ordered, he was putting on a hoodie, one lended to him by uda, it belonged to her son she said.his hands were in his pockets and his gaze was fixed on the guy holding anila
"Like I said....don't get involved or face the consequences"the boss warned
"And I don't like repeating myself" ruke responded slowly approaching a thug infront of him. The man was armed but ruke didn't really care. Even if he were to get violent with them they were never gonna be a challenge for him.
"Hey bud my boss was kind enough to warn ya...."laughs*but since you're ignorant and want to get beaten up, I'll gladly help ya out"the thug laughed pointing a finger at ruke while still mocking him
*SNAP*
The thugs laughter soon turned Into a yell as ruke had broken the finger in which he pointed at him with.
"Get out of my way"ruke huffed using his right arm to slam the thug away while he continued his walk towards the man holding anila
"Beat him....I don't care if you kill him just beat him up!"the boss yelled, he knew this guy meant trouble after seeing the gaze he had on.
Grabbing a bat meant to hit him, ruke used it to slam a thugs leg breaking it instantly he then instantly approached his next victim breaking an arm or two, then the next and the next until the people standing were just the one holding anila and the boss.
"Who is this guy?"anila thought amazed at the rate he defeated the bosses thugs, she had never seen anything as amazing as that before.
"I'm.....I'm out"the thug let anila go while he tried running away scared but ruke aiming that bat towards him threw it so hard he bled from his nose during impact with the bat before falling unconscious outside the gate.
"Who are you?"anila asked approaching ruke after being Freed, she was bleeding from her nose and she had some grazes on her arms and legs but there seemed to be no fatal injuries. Letting out a sigh he walked past her not responding to her question.
"Like I said...I hate repeating myself"ruke said slowly taking steps towards the boss who wanted nothing else but to run away but couldn't feel his legs to, he was too scared to move and ruke was now standing in front of him, getting low enough ruke whispered into his ears.
"Disturb this family one more time and you don't get to see another day...no move"ruke threatened, at his order the boss leaving behind his henchmen and his car.
With that done ruke turned around to walk back into the house when he saw anila hupping on one foot, it seemed she had sprained her ankle earlier and was having a hard time walking.
"Stay there" ruke said approaching her, he helped her sit, placed his arm on her ankle and instructed she counted to three but on count number two he forced her ankle back in.
"Ahnnnnnnn, what the hell was that?"anila yelled in pain but ruke hadn't responded, he then proceeded to carrying her and helping her to her room which was the last room at the end of the hall.
"You should be able to walk by tomorrow..."ruke informed lying anila on the mattress on the floor then turning around to leave.
"Hey...wait up"anila called, ruke hesitated but he eventually turned around to stare at anila
"i was never informed of your name yesterday"she said trying so hard not to make it look like she was requesting to know his name.
"Ruke.."ruke responded turning around to leave for the second time.
"Thank you....ruke for saving me"anila thanked but this made ruke pause for awhile..., they sounded totally alike [thank you.....shadow...for your help], she sounded exactly the same as Amila but he had never noticed it before up until this moment,
"S.sure"ruke responded walking out of the room and shutting the door behind him "how does she sound the same as Amila....."ruke thought his plam placed on his chest, he could feel his heart race for the first time in a year, he felt satisfied after helping her..,it felt like he had helped Amila today
Maybe everything that has happened in his life up until that very moment was meant to lead him to anila
[Something pleasant sometim later]
Maybe uda's words weren't just here say, maybe they were true after all.
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[SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE NEVADA]
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"I've just received words from the grandmasters,...."a drax spoke his voice mild and soft,
"And?"a feminine voice asked, she also was a drax and had a special strange looking weapon beside her
"We'll be heading to azula tomorrow.. for a quick summon and gathering of drax's..., the new doushin will be there as well, so they said"he explained with a grin "I wonder what type of man he is...., to have pushed the grandmasters into bestowing him with such a gracious title"he concluded his grin disappearing as his expression was a mix of excitement and curiousity
"Well..., I guess you find out tomorrow....don't you"a third voice responded, a drax with a brown mask responded, they were all standing on a rooftop in the city.
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"A summon tomorrow..."ruke thought, he had also received words from the grandmasters and he knew what this was, he knew the grandmasters were going to use this as a way to push him to exposure and reveal him as the doushin to other drax's across Nevada and in Nevada. While still in thoughts a voice he heard udas voice, she was calling for him. standing he walked outside to find uda all ready to head to the tavern.
"I'll be heading out feel free to eat the foods and snacks in the fridge, and yh... look after anila for me till I get back please"uda pleaded and without hesitating ruke replied with an ok..., he didn't want her pestering anymore and still didn't want to waste his day watching over someone who couldn't apparently look after themselves, but uda's plea became so troublesome ruke had to say yes. With that uda was.
There's was nothing he could do now but train, he had always trained with his friends but had not done so for a year now...., he missed them but could hardly show it not say it, agonizingly he practiced his fighting moves with the air around him.
*CHOP*
*KICK*
*SPIN AND KICK*
He wasn't holding back at all, with one last slam on the wooden post he used as a training dummy it broke, shattering into pieces while ruke could only stare, he then diverted his gaze towards his fist, they weren't even grazed, they weren't bleeding, they weren't punctured by any of the broken piece of wood,
"Why?...why?...why?, they felt more pain when I killed them..., why can't I get myself injured?"uje asked knees placed on the floor, his guilt was worsening, and he couldn't feel it, and the nightmares didn't make things an better for him as he relived himself killing his friends every single time he closed his eyes.
The atmosphere around the building was silent, the wind blew carrying around fallen leaves from the trees around the house, along with that ruke could feel the presence of two beings behind him just outside the buildings gate.
"Impressive, I've got to admit you so got talent" now of the presence he felt said. He instantly turned around to find a two male drax's looking at him, he hadn't seen any of them before but he knew they were drax's, the way they carried themselves, the way they walked without leaving no openings for an attack, they were drax's no doubt about it
"And who the hell are you?"ruke asked getting up from the floor, his gaze fixed on them
"How about a dual doushin.....will ya do me this great honor?" The same guy who had spoken earlier said again pulling our a knuckle dusters attached with claws.