"Yuri, come and say hello."
Placing the pair of wooden nunchucks back on the weapons rack, she turns to face Fujimara and the mysterious man.
Tall, stocky frame, dark hair almost reaching his shoulders and wearing a dark-coloured tunic ensemble with plimsolls, the man smiles down at her.
Tora stares back, her dark hair pulled up into a ponytail and a serious look on her face.
"Nice to meet you, Yuri." He greets her in English.
Eyebrows raised, Tora looks at Fujimara for some sort of explanation as to his arrival.
"This is Blanca, Yuri. You don't need to worry, he's a friend of mine."
Eyes suspiciously scanning him once again, Tora dismissively nods, turning on her heels to walk back to the weapons rack, when Fujimara interjects.
"He's going to train you."
Slowly turning back around, she purses her lips, talking back at him in rapid Japanse.
"Why is he training me? You've taught me plenty, Sensei. What could he teach me that you haven't already?"
Blanca chuckles. "This will be a different kind of training." He replies, to Tora's surprise, in Japanese.
"What sort of training will it be?" She tentatively asks.
"I'm going to train you to become an assassin."
Her eyes widen and she blinks at him.
"What an interesting reaction," Fujimara mutters.
"What is the meaning of this, Sensei?" She questions.
Fujimara waves her over to kneel on the floor in front of him and she obliges. "Yuri, your parents loved you dearly and this life of yours is a special one. The best thing you can do with your life is to use their strength and the strength you have within yourself to get rid of the evil in this world."
"Like the bad people who killed my parents?"
Fujimara nods. "Maybe in the future."
"That's my life goal," Tora tells the two of them abruptly. "I'll never be satisfied until they're avenged. If this is the way to do it, then I'll do whatever I can."
"You're twelve, aren't you?" Blanca's expression softens. "You remind me of another student of mine. If you two were to ever meet in the future, I'm sure it would cause chaos."
~
Stood in front of the pair, hands by his sides in disbelief, Blanca turns to Fujimara —who was woken up by Tora in her slightly frantic state once they returned home at 1 am.
"I never thought the pair of them would meet," Blanca says to him.
Fujimara takes a seat on the bench along the mirrored side of the dojo, hands on his aching back. He mutters a response. "It was inevitable."
"Sensei, you knew I was going to meet Ash in New York, didn't you?" She asks.
"I had my suspicions."
Ash nudges Tora. "What are you guys saying?"
"That I didn't expect to see the pair of you in each other's company," Blanca responds. "New York and Tokyo are not only different cities in different countries, but they're worlds apart."
"What do you mean?" Tora asks.
"My time as a trained assassin has been a pleasurable experience but each place I've been to has been very different," He continues. "You two are the only students I've ever taken on, teaching you different techniques and skills to survive in the worlds you live in. Both of you had traumatic childhoods and didn't deserve to be thrown into these worlds. But you both made the best of a bad situation and have blossomed from these fates. Despite this, I never expected you two to ever actually meet."
"How poetic." The pair mumble in unison.
Blanca's expression softens and he nods. "Very similar. Anyway, how has your training been going, Tora?"
She shrugs. "Sensei trained me this morning, but my kata form needs some work. I'm very rusty."
He chuckles. "We both know Fujimara trains you hard. I'm sure by the end of your return home he'll have you back to your usual standard."
"We do have more pressing things to be worrying about here," Ash interjects. "Like the threat Tora received."
"What's this all about?" Blanca asks.
"My handler, he's received new information about our next move," Tora takes a seat next to Fujimara and opens up her laptop. "He couldn't tell me what it was all about over the phone."
Blanca scratches his head. "I'm confused, to say the least."
"I didn't think you'd be interested in knowing anyway," Ash crosses his arms, an eyebrow cocked. "You've retired after all."
Blanca waves a hand. "I am retired, but I can't say I'm not intrigued as to why the pair of you are working together."
Ash motions to her laptop. "What did Yut-Lung say?"
"Yut-Lung?"
Tora's forehead creases and she looks up at Blanca. "He screwed us over. We did his dirty work and he still screwed with us in the end. He did give us some information about the syndicate though."
She clicks away at her laptop for a moment before clearing her throat.
"His email says: Tora, since your departure from New York, the leaders and higher-ups linked to the syndicate have been in contact with some associates of mine, explaining that they know you're back in Tokyo. Their warning states that your identity will be discovered in due course. Be careful."
Ash scoffs. "He probably tipped them off again."
Blanca shakes his head. "Yut-Lung is a troubled young man. He may seem cruel, but at least he's honest and I very much doubt he would rat the pair of you out now."
"Ash told me all about the deal you made with him."
He raises his eyebrows at her. "He made an offer I couldn't refuse. But I threw that away to help Ash and his friends in the end."
Fujimara nudges her, talking quickly in Japanese and asking about the email. She briefly explains it to him and his expression hardens.
"What about your handler's email?" Ash asks.
She purses her lips, opening his email and reading it aloud. "It's a time and address for a meeting tomorrow afternoon. It's a cabinet meeting with various Government Officials and members of the syndicate to discuss the recent murders of their associates."
"How would you even get into that meeting?" Ash questions. "Surely they'd recognise you or at least need your identity to attend it?"
Tora nods. "Tanaka is suggesting that I go as a translator or secretary. The only catch is that I'd need someone to come along to be an associate."
Both Tora and Ash share the same thought, their eyes falling on Blanca's tall figure as he looks between them.
"What are you both looking at me like that for?"
"Blanca," Tora crosses her arms. "We need you to help."
Eyes widening, Blanca laughs awkwardly as he waves his hands. "No, no, I'm retired. I'm not in that line of work anymore, simply in Tokyo for a holiday."
"Then consider this a group outing." Ash retorts cheekily.
"I'm not being dragged into whatever mess you two have gotten yourselves into." He tells them.
"Banana Fish."
Blanca looks down at Tora as she stares back at him. Her expression is reminiscent of the same look she gave him when they first met eight years ago. It sends a shiver down his spine.
"Is it because of your parents?" He asks and she nods.
"I'm finally close to figuring it all out, Blanca."
Sensing the hurt in her voice and watching as her eyes gloss over, Blanca sends her a pained frown. "It's been twelve years now, hasn't it?"
Tora purses her lips. "Ash and I both have our reasons, but our goal is the same."
"This is the best lead we've had yet," Ash explains. "This will be the first time we have a full insight inside the syndicate. This really would start to piece everything together."
"I need to go to this meeting," Tora closes her laptop. "And I need you to come with me."
As Blanca opens his mouth to protest, Fujimara interrupts, questioning Tora about their conversation.
Once she's translated the general gist of it all, Fujimara shakes his head, standing up from the bench. He talks to the group in broken English. "Not safe, Yuri. Yabai."
Tora sighs, placing her laptop to the side and standing up. "Sensei, we have to."
He points a finger to her head. "Omoimasu, Yuri. Think careful."
As he turns on his heel to walk across the dojo floor and up the stairs, Tora follows, placing an arm around him. "It's getting late, Sensei."
Watching as Tora walks Fujimara back up the staircase to his bedroom, Blanca and Ash turn to each other.
"I can't, Ash." Blanca takes a seat on the bench, Ash standing in front of him with his arms crossed.
"Why not? You've helped before, why can't you help again? To finally get to the bottom of this all."
Blanca looks down at the floor. "How's Eiji?"
Taken aback by his question, Ash huffs. "I have no idea."
"You mean you haven't seen him since coming to Japan?"
"Of course I haven't!" Ash throws his arms up. "I can't put him in any more danger. Not again."
Blanca looks up at him. "You're injured."
Ash's eyes widen. "How did you know?"
"Call it a teacher's intuition." Blanca jokes. "I thought something had to be up. And anyway, you've been clutching your side at various points this evening."
"It was Lao," Ash turns away. "I had my guard down and he took advantage of it."
Blanca nods. "I see."
The pair is silent for a moment, both deep in thought and unsure as to what to make of their current predicament.
"I'm desperate to see him," Ash takes a seat next to him. "I want nothing more than to see him again, but I can't until this is all over. I can't put this to rest until we've finished what someone else started."
"I can tell that Tora is the same," Blanca agrees. "She told me when I first met her that her life goal is to avenge her parents."
Ash sighs. "Please, Blanca. You know I'd never ask if I didn't need your help. We both need your help."
Blanca chuckles. "No, you don't ask for my help because you're so prideful."
Scowling, Ash points a finger at him. "Listen up, old man—"
"What's going on?"
Their attention is brought to the staircase, Tora walking back down from the second floor, a frown on her face and her expression much more tired than earlier.
"What did Fujimara say?" Blanca asks, the two standing up from the bench.
Tora shrugs, sending them a weak smile. "He's just worried about me. I'm trying to not think about that though."
"He cares about you, Tora."
Waving Blanca off, Tora crosses her arms. "It's fine. What were you two talking about?"
Opening his mouth to answer, Ash falters, looking at Blanca from the corner of his eye. "Tora, I'm not sure—"
"—I'll do it," Blanca tells them.
Their eyes widen and Tora rushes forward. "Are you serious? Blanca, thank you."
His large hand ruffles her hair —much to her annoyance— and he smiles. "I can't let my students down."
The pair look at him with serious, sincere expressions and he exhales.
"Alright, what's the plan?"
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"just lay in the atmosphere
a casual affair" - Panic! at the Disco