In Cold Blood [Ash Lynx] - Banana Fish

Twenty-Four - Casual Affair

"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."