Just a Hero for the Hell of it

*Juri POV*

"Again." An older, deep voice spoke. With a deep breath, I assumed my stance once more. (Traditional sf4 Juri stance). My body was littered with bruises and aches of pain, but it was nothing compared to what I'd feel had I stayed down. Across from me, a young boy with jet black hair slowly stumbled to his feet. 'That's right. Get up.' A small smile stretched across my face.

It was better to be knocked down by me rather than by the man spectating us. The younger boy, my brother, finally reached his feet and stood in a sloppy fighting stance. His face was contorted into one of pain. "I..I can keep going." He choked out. I could tell he was hesitant. My smile faltered a bit, but it didn't completely diminish. A part of me felt bad for the constant beating of my younger sibling, while the other half was just happy to see that he still hadn't lost his will to fight.

However, both of those halves hated seeing my brother like this. Bruised and struggling to stand. I'd been taking it as easy on him as I could, but there was too much of a gap in skill between us. My brother is 7, and he started taekwondo a year ago. I'm 10 and I started at the age of 5. Realistically, he couldn't lay a finger on me, but with some believable acting, I could sell the occasional hit I let him land on me.

"Again." The old, authoritative voice spoke once again. With that, my brother shot off towards me. I could tell his wounds were affecting his movements by the pace at which he ran. I stood still and waited for him to come. 'Maybe with a quick blow to the jaw, I can knock him out fast.' My stance loosened up as he reached me.

"HAAAH!" He screamed. I could tell he was running on nothing but fumes now. I could see the front kick he was going for, so in one quick movement, I shot straight up in the air. 'Nap time little brother.' Before he could follow up, let alone register what happened my body rotated mid air and my heel slammed into his jaw. I inwardly winced as I heard the impact and felt it through my heel. 'Maybe.. Not as hard next time.'

At least now though he was definitely done fighting. He fell backwards on the blue matted floor, breathing but definitely unconscious. With a deep breath, I dropped my stance and bowed before looking at the man spectating us. He had an indecipherable expression on his face that gave me a nervous feeling. With a wave of his hand, two men in the same white taekwondo gi as me appeared from thin air. "Yes master?" They both asked simultaneously. "Remove the boy. Take him to his room to rest away his wounds." The man said in a neutral tone as he stood up.

This was the fate of the loser of our duels. They had to simply rest away the wounds they received, despite the manor having an infirmary. 'Sorry little brother..' I could only bite my tongue as the two men walked over to my brother and teleported away with him.

The silence in the room was loud. No movement of the body. The clothes we wore made no sound. Even the outside stood still. "18 times." The man finally spoke. "P..pardon sir?" I asked in a confused tone. My brain wracked over what that number could mean to no avail.

He began taking small steps towards me. "You've fought your brother 21 times, and held back 18 of those times." He stated in his neutral voice. My heartbeat sped up. Before I could speak, he spoke once more. "You could've fooled me. Hell, you've probably fooled me the other 3 matches. You acting was well, but do you know what gave you away?" His tone dropped from his neutral tone, to a lower, more annoyed tone.

He was now in front of me. The man known as my father. He was a tall man with a muscular body and long black hair. He kept his face shaven at all times and usually kept a neutral expression.

Without another word, he threw a lightning fast kick at me. Reacting fast, I hopped off the ground and blocked the kick with my forearm. "Gah!" I inadvertently cried out as I was flung across the room. My head hit a wall before I hit the mat. "Jumping to avoid the shock of the kick? Smart. That kick would have snapped your forearm in two." I heard him say in a distorted voice. I could tell his intent behind that blow, my arm and head were throbbing now. "Your eyes gave you away, Juri. You saw every blow he threw out coming yet you did nothing." He stated as I struggled to make my way to my feet. "Your attempts to weaken my heir are not appreciated, Juri. If he is to take over the dojo when I pass on, it will surely fall." He lectured, walking over to me once more.

"I..I." I struggled to find my words. my brain was still rattled from earlier. Within seconds, he once again stood over me. I could see his eyes staring down at me, uncaring, cold. Without a word, he kneeled in front of me, caressing my jaw. "I have let your attempts to foil your brother go on far too long. You will leave the manor." He said in a cold voice. My eyes widened in surprise. "Bu-!" I was cut off by my "father's" fist nearly connecting with my stomach. Thinking quick, my arms and knee shot up to block the blow. Unfortunately, his fist broke right through my guard and slammed deep into my gut. Tears welled up in my eyes as I reached for my father, but to no avail. He stood up and let me crumble down to the floor, holding my stomach in agony.

"Once you wake up, you'll be gone. I'll give Tomura your farewell." The man's voice grew quieter as he walked out of the room, turning off the light. 'Bastard..' and with that, darkness.

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I usually end up giving up on my stories due to lack of motivation so here's the deal with this one. 10 votes and 10 comments and I'll upload another chapter tomorrow