Planning for Revenge

Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.

After leaving the scene of his fight with Christie, Tatsuo quickly made his way back home. Alon the way, he was in a terrible mood. He had the perfect opportunity to kill one of the people who made his life hell during his time of captivity. But he had to let her go because of her threat.

"The worst part is that I know she was absolutely telling the truth." Tatsuo said as he rode the elevator up to the penthouse apartment. "Not once in those eight years did I ever see her not follow through on a threat or a promise to hurt someone. Damn that bitch."

While Tatsuo was muttering to himself discontentedly, the doors to the elevator opened. And when he arrived, Mai was standing in front of him, apparently waiting for the elevator to arrive. However, when she saw his gloomy expression, all the thoughts of running the errand Sumire asked her to flew right out the window.

Immediately, Mai stepped forward and wrapped Tatsuo in a hug, pulling his face into her bosom. Although Tatsuo struggled to free himself, there was nothing he could do to free himself. Even though he was physically stronger than Mai.

"I don't know what happened, Tatsu-Kun." Mai said softly. "But I… No, we're here for you. If anything ever bothers you, just tell Sumire-Sama. Then, she, me, and Kasumi will take care of it."

Though this was not the first time Tatsuo felt the warmth of family since he was rescued from the DOATECH facility where he was held captive, this was the most intense feeling he had ever had. And to think, it came from Mai, who was always spouting something about marrying him in the future.

'Damn, she really got me this time.' Tatsuo thought to himself as he hesitantly wrapped his arms around Mai's waist. 'If she keeps doing stuff like this, I won't be able to let her go. Am I really going to have to ask Mom to make harem marriages legal? Can she even really do that?'

"Seriously, I'm okay, Mai-Nee." Tatsuo said softly into Mai's bosom. "I just ran into someone from DOATECH."

Immediately upon hearing that, Mai's killing intent surged. In fact, it was so bad that it startled Tatsuo and caught Sumire and Kasumi's attention.

"It's them again." Mai said in a tone filled with so much wrath and venom that it would scare most animals. "They already put you through so much. And they still haven't given up."

After saying that, Mai pulled Tatsuo away from her chest and looked up into his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to Sumire-Sama about this. Then, we'll wipe out that DOATECH."

After saying that, Mai turned around and rushed back into the apartment, completely forgetting about the errand she was supposed to run for Sumire. Meanwhile, Tatsuo was left standing in front of the elevator in a daze.

A few moments later, Tatsuo's dazed expression slowly reseeded, only to be replaced by one filled with resolve.

"Although I'm truly touched that you would think like that for me, Mai-Nee." Tatsuo said as he started walking towards his bedroom. "No one will take my revenge away from me. Not even you or Mom."

At that moment, Kasumi's bedroom door opened. When it did, she was dressed in her blue and white shinobi attire and wore a solemn expression on her face and a wakizashi strapped to her lower back..

"Kasumi-Neesan, is something wrong?" Tatsuo asked in a surprised tone when he saw her in her battle attire.

"I'm not sure." Kasumi replied in a soft, yet resolute tone. "but I felt a surging killing intent. And I was just coming to see what it was."

Hearing that, Tatsuo could only smile awkwardly before explaining what just happened with Mai. And when Kasumi heard his explanation, she relaxed her body. Then, she put on an awkward smile similar to Tatsuo's.

"She really overreacts when it comes to you, doesn't she?" Kasumi said as she approached Tatsuo with small steps.

"Yeah." Tatsuo replied. "but having someone care that much isn't so bad. It's just a bit much at times."

Kasumi giggled in response.

"She's not the only one who cares, you know." Kasumi said as she stood on the tips of her toes and reached up to pat Tatsuo on the head. "You're family. And we would all do anything for you."

The feeling of someone patting him on the head was a novel experience for Tatsuo. In fact, he can't remember the last time it happened. But like having Mai hug him with concern, it was not so bad. Still, he did not want to let anyone have his revenge. Though, having helpers probably would not be so bad.

"By the way, when is the next Dead or Alive Tournament?" Tatsuo asked with a smile.

"It should be next summer, why?" Kasumi asked curiously. However, when she saw Tatsuo's smile, she had a pretty good idea of what he was thinking.

"I was thinking, why don't we sign up and cause some trouble during the tournament?" Tatsuo asked, his smile slowly turning blood thirsty as he spoke. "they wanted to make me into a weapon after cloning didn't work, right? Then, why don't I show them what kind of weapon of mass destruction they created?"

Although Kasumi was not the type to seek conflict, she was definitely not above making those who experimented on her in the same way they experimented on Tatsuo pay for their transgressions. So, her expression blossomed into a smile, as well. Though, the murderous intent behind that smile was hidden much better than Tatsuo's.

Before the conversation could continue any further, the sound of Mai crying and running through the apartment interrupted Tatsuo and Kasumi. So, they both looked down the hall towards the elevator, where they could feel Mai running to.

"I just wanted to help my Tatsu-Kun!" Mai wailed as she ran into the elevator. "What's wrong with that? Sumire-Sama, you're so mean!"

Shortly after that, the elevator doors closed and Mai's crying could no longer be heard. Meanwhile, Tatsuo and Kasumi exchanged glances.

"Uh... I'm gonna go change clothes." Tatsuo said awkwardly. "Then, I'm gonna go talk to Mom."

"Okay, I'll go back to studying." Kasumi replied. "Just remember, if you ever need our help, we'll be here for you."

"I'll remember." Tatsuo said with a smile. "Thanks, Kasumi-Neesan."

After that, both teenagers returned to their bedrooms to change clothes. And just as she said she would, Kasumi returned to studying for her midterms. Meanwhile, Tatsuo left his room and walked towards the living room.

When he arrived in the living room, Tatsuo found his mother sitting on the couch and watching the news as if nothing happened.

"Well, I knew you were home when Mai came in here talking about going to war with DOATECH." Sumire said with a smile. "So, did something happen?"

"Yeah, that woman, Christie, came to bring me back to DOATECH tonight." Tatsuo replied as he sat down next to his mother. "And she was waiting for me on my way back from the train station after I walked Sasaki-San there."

"*Sigh* I knew they would find you eventually." Sumire said while shaking he head. "I just didn't think it would happen so soon."

After reaching that point, Sumire looked into Tatsuo's eyes with an infinite amount of love and affection in her gaze.

"So, what do you want to do?" Sumire asked. "Just let Mommy know, and I'll support you with everything I have."

"I want to wipe them out… With my own hands." Tatsuo replied.

Sumire nodded her head in response.

"Good." Sumire said in an approving tone. "I'm glad you put it that way. If you had asked me to do it, I would have definitely done it for you. But I would have been disappointed. I don't want you to be the kind of man who asks others to fight your battles for you. No matter if they are on the battlefield or in society."

This time it was Tatsuo's turn to nod his head.

"But going at an entity like DOATECH needs more than just brute force." Sumire said. "You'll need some kind of standing you can lean on when conflicts arise off the battlefield."

"Then what should I do?" Tatsuo asked curiously.

"You should use those skills DOATECH drilled into your brain to make them pay." Sumire said with a smile. "Use your piano skills, use your intelligence. Use your fighting ability. Use them all to crush them in every aspect. Build a company that trumps theirs in every way, and destroy all their fighting potential while you're at it. Leave them nothing to fall back on."

Despite saying something so vicious, Sumire wore a sweet, loving smile as she guided her son on the proper way to pull out an enemy's roots before crushing them into dust.

"Oh, and keep going to other worlds to broaden your horizons." Sumire added without losing her smile.

Immediately, Tatsuo's eyes widened to a comical degree.

"How? How did you know about that?" Tatsuo asked in a shocked tone.

"Where do you think you got the ability to jump between worlds from?" Sumire asked just before disappearing from the couch.

A moment later, Sumire reappeared in the same spot. However, she was holding something that Tatsuo had seen before in movies and video games.

"Is that… a lightsaber?" Tatsuo asked in a dumbfounded tone.

That's right, what Sumire was holding was a silver cylinder with a ridged black handgrip and a red crystal on one end.

"Yup, it's a lightsaber from the Star Wars universe." Sumire replied. "Unfortunately, because the Force does not exist in this universe, I can't turn it on to prove it. But I should probably take it back soon. Otherwise, Malak might throw a tantrum and kill a bunch of innocent people because his toy is gone."

Saying that, Sumire vanished once again. And Tatsuo was dumbfounded at what he heard.

"Malak? As in Darth Malak? The antagonist from Knights of the Old Republic?" Tatsuo asked himself while staring at where Sumire sat with a blank gaze. "I never got to play that because of my condition in my past life, but I watched someone play it on YouTube. And it looked really good. *Sigh* Now I wanna play it. I wonder if it exists in this world. I should look for it."

A few minutes later, Sumire reappeared with a slight frown on her face.

"Geez, why did he get so angry" Sumire grumbled. "I gave it back, didn't I? If he had just active like an adult, I wouldn't have had to put him over my knee like that."

Just then, Tatsuo shuddered at the thought of his petite mother putting a Sith Lord over her knee and spanking him like he was a naughty child. And as the image in his mind became more clear, his shuddering grew more and more violent. Eventually, he could no longer hold it in as he started laughing from the bottom of his soul.

Seeing that she was able to raise Tatsuo's spirits with her antics, Sumire's pout turned into a bright, wide smile almost in an instant. Then, she held Tatsuo's hand tenderly.

"Anyway, let's talk about your first step in making DOATECH regret ever being created." Sumire said. "Like I said, I think you should start with your music. You're an amazing pianist and you can sing, too. So, why don't we turn you into Japan's biggest superstar. And with your looks, that shouldn't be an issue. The record company is already set up. In fact it's pretty big, you know?"

"Huh? A superstar?" Tatsuo asked in a confused tone. "but didn't you want me to be well-rounded or something? How will living the life of a celebrity help with that. I mean, have you seen what those people are like?"

Sumire could only smile awkwardly at Tatsuo's response. It was true that there were a lot of celebrities across the multiverse that were a bit crazy in the head. But the majority of them were not like that. The only reason so many celebrities seemed crazy was because the media only focused on the ones that did stupid or crazy things. Meanwhile, those who were mild-mannered were deemed uninteresting. So, their actions were not covered as closely.

"Don't worry." Sumire said. "You'll only be the kind of celebrity you allow yourself to be. If you don't wanna be a crazy one, then don't. The way you live your life is up to you, after all."

That sentence seemed to strike a chord with Tatsuo. So, he nodded his head in understanding.

"But for now, you should focus on getting good grades on your midterms." Sumire said. "After that, write enough songs to make an album. Then, we'll think about getting you some exposure."

"Okay." Tatsuo replied.

"Now, go get some rest." Sumire said with a smile. "You've had a long day today, and you deserve a good rest."

"Okay, I'll do that." Tatsuo replied. "Good night, Mom."

"Night-night, Tatsu-Chan." Sumire replied. "Sweet dreams."

With a that, Sumire give Tatsuo a quick, tight hug before letting him return to his room where he continued to work on Mai's fans deep into the night before finally going to bed at around one in the morning.

However, just before falling asleep, Tatsuo thought back to his conversation with his mother and was somewhat horrified at his thoughts.

'Wait! Didn't Mom say that she put Darth Malak over her knee?' Tatsuo thought to himself while his consciousness was drifting towards the land of dreams. 'Just how strong is she that she could beat a Sith Lord like that? Just who is my mom, really?'