68 Tino
The hall, in which Bastian and Kenshin were being received, was near the center of the city. It was a grand, majestic structure, and likewise the buildings near it were just as grand. Next to the grand hall was a grand hotel. Within one of the hotel rooms were two gentlemen drinking wine whilst seated at a balcony. They were looking at the hall next door, with expressions so somber one would think they could see inside it. Yet strangely, if someone did think of such a thing, then that person would be correct.
"Hahahahahahaha, little Shasha has found himself some interesting companions." said one of the gentlemen. He was a tall and very masculine man. His face was rugged and facial hair covered most of his face.
"Sir Tendai, Lord Titus has reminded me to inform you that we have little time to spend fiddling around in such an area." said the other man, who looked no different from a scholar. His bearded compatriot shrugged his shoulders.
"Surely you must allow me some time to relax; after all, it is not often that I get to see such an interesting show. Besides, this time my brother is involved, I am obligated to pay attention. Bongai, surely even a man such as you has siblings? So you must understand how I feel."
Bongai could not help but feel uncomfortable, for Tendai's words were seeking empathy but his eyes were like a predator, looking at its prey.
"Those are not the eyes one has when they look at their family Sir Tendai." said Bongai in an unpleasant tone. Tendai ignored him and kept looking at the grand hall, or rather, the events occurring within.
After a while, Tendai's face grew a savage grin. "It seems my brother is in good hands. I will leave this city to these capable hands."
Bongai frowned but in the end said nothing. He knew Tendai long enough to know that once he had that expression, not even mountains can move him.
"Tino! I am leaving this city to my brother. For now, I want you and your warriors to settle in. You may reveal yourselves to light...I mean Shasha when sufficient preparations have been made. Failure is not an option. You may be dismissed." said Tendai while leisurely drinking his wine.
There didn't seem to be anyone else in the room besides Tendai and Bongai, yet his orders were met by a feminine voice so alluring it could melt the hearts of even the cruelest of men. "Yes my lord."
....
A day or two later, Bastian and Kenshin were sitting in a room at a distant location. The moment he had woken up and gathered his wits, Bastian had been told by Kenshin that he was being searched for throughout the city, thus under Kai's orders, they were to hide until the next part of the tournament began.
The Dwight and York families were sparing no expense to find Bastian. Due to Kai's presence, they could do nothing to Shasha or his household but Bastian had acted out of line. Under the unspoken rules Masters had, the Dwight and York families were allowed to take action, so long as they found Bastian.
Until the next part of the tournament took place, Bastian and Kenshin were to lay low. To improve their odds of not being found, Kenshin had even made Bastian bald, much to the latter's despair.
His eye brows had been shaved as well, producing quite the odd sight. Bastian knew that he only had himself to blame for his current predicament but it didn't help improve his mood.
Kai had kept in contact with Kenshin through means unknown to Bastian. The two were currently staying in a rented room in one of the poorest areas of the city. Without his research materials, Bastian felt like he had lost the will to live.
His eyes were lifeless and his skin was incredibly pale. Kenshin knew Bastian well enough to know that few things could move him at that time. Bastian wanted to continue his research.
"Bastian, what is your goal in life?" At that moment, the duo was lying on their beds 'staring' at the roof. Bastian couldn't find a suitable answer for Kenshin's question so he just grunted.
"Before you came here, your goal was to take back your kingdom and to live a life of luxury was it not?" Kenshin didn't show it but just like Bastian, he was bored. He had already trained for the day.
Their current situation called for them to limit their movements, and even if it didn't, Kenshin had nowhere he wanted to go. So Kenshin entered a rare state of boredom. Thus he chose to alleviate his boredom by asking Bastian what his current goal was, only to meet a brick wall.
Bastian was still brooding, and showed no intention of answering. The reversal of roles amused Kenshin but he knew Bastian well enough to get him talking.
"If you answer my question, I can tell you-" before Kenshin could finish his sentence, a loud commotion outside grabbed his attention. Bastian also noticed this commotion, and decided to see what the fuss was about.
He walked out of the door and looked toward the street; a mob had gathered on the streets and they were going crazy. Someone had thrown coins on the ground. Silver coins for that matter and just walked away. The people had begun a mad scramble for the coins. After a few more seconds, the scramble was over, and the winners ran away with their spoils, with the losers chasing after them.
Resulting in the street being once more deserted, except for one person, she was incredibly beautiful. Perfect skin, fair hair, blue eyes, a curvy body with a waist most men would do anything to wrap their arms against.
Her expression was cold, emotionless even. Yet that only added to her charm. She was dressed in simple robes and walked straight toward Bastian and Kenshin.
Bastian was not in the mood for this sort of thing and was about to walk away when her words stopped him in his tracks. "Bastian Smith, the King of Titans. It is an honor to meet you."
'The King of Titans' this name was legendary when Tino was growing up. His tales were as timeless as the sands of time themselves. His feats were matchless, and no one had been able to overcome them, past, present and future.
Tino had grown up hearing this name almost every day of her life. When it wasn't being said, it was being sung. When it wasn't being sung, it was being written. This absolute legend of legends, The King of Titans, Bastian Smith, was right before her.
"Yawn. Where did you hear that name?"
Never in her entire life had she expected to see him. Yet what she saw before her fell far short of the legends. There was no long purple hair with a red hue.
There was no muscular physique that had reached the limits of what humans could achieve and there was no earth shattering voice that could move armies and bring down the heavens.
No instead, what she got was a bald, heterochromatic youth with pale skin, no eyebrows and the voice of a child.
She grabbed his hands and sent her yuan into his hands, and she could sense remnants of the gauntlets. This meant that he was without a doubt Bastian Smith.
Yet she couldn't help but be disappointed. She realized that that was not the time. With a heavy sigh she disappeared. Bastian was a bit surprised by what he had seen because he had no doubt that, what he felt entering his hands was yuan.
Kenshin on the other hand was very surprised. He knew that they would meet people who were special like Bastian but he didn't expect it to happen so soon. Kenshin was also surprised by the fact that the girl had left his mind. The more he tried to think about her, the more she disappeared.
"Kenshin, you asked me what my goal is at the moment right? Well I didn't really have one but now it's to find out who that girl was." Said Bastian as he thought about what had just happened. The look of worship, the girl had when she mentioned his name and the disappointment that she showed seconds afterwards caught Bastian's attention.
The strange title that she said and the fact that she could use yuan, she had brought a lot of confusing factors that Bastian wanted to figure out. He was too tired and too lazy to do anything about it, so for now he intended to sleep.
As soon as Bastian got back indoors, Kenshin still remained outside because there was something confusing him.
What girl is Bastian talking about?
