Chapter 2-Fitting In

POV: Firenze

He...what? He...wants to train me? Oh hell no. You just want to return me back to that spoilt noble brat so that I can get my ass handed again, don't you? Calm down Firenze.

"Are you planning to return me back to him so that he can beat me up again, right?" I asked him calmly, but my words said otherwise.

He chuckled as if to insult or mock me. "Absolutely not. I have no intentions of giving up someone with your potential so easily. As I said earlier, you have stirred my interest, boy. Despite having a ki center in your body, you didn't use it to block those hits. On top of that, considering your physique, which isn't in the best of states..." he pointed to my arms, which were so thin that you could see the bones on the skin, "you didn't sustain any serious injuries. Heck, your life isn't even in danger, boy! Do you know what this means?"

 I already knew that my body is abnormally tough after I fell from the first floor of a building with nothing more than a sprained ankle. Director Maybell explained that it was because of Yeoui and I noticed that my body was slowly developing its own ki center for some reason.

"But how did you detect my ki center when you can't detect a ki center without the target using ki?" I asked him.

"I have my secrets, boy!" he growled menacingly, sendingshives downmy spine."Unless you want me to teach you. You have a good talent for physical attributes. I wonder if you have a similar aptitude for hand-to-hand combat."

"So, basically, " I tried to simplify things for him, "you want to teach me because I have some goddammit talent, bruh?"

"Nope!" he shrugged.

"Nope?" my eyes widened.

Vera chuckled. "You see, he specializes in training losers." Those words pierced my heart with a burning sensation.

"You definitely are a loser, just like Avier, which is why I want you." Rudolf supported her words.

I blacked out for a few seconds until Grey splashed some water on my face. I woke up with a start and gave Grey a deadpan stare, which made everyone on the table burst into heaps of laughter. Whatever little ego I had collapsed then and there, atleast temporarily, because Rudolf patted my head, which for some reason gave me relief.

"Come on," he sighed, "everyone in this room couldn't even walk as babies but look at us now.. Don't be sad."

"Easy for you to say," I chuckled, feeling a bit relieved. "I will train under you, but I have a few conditions, and a few questions."

All three heads turned towards me as they didn't expect a child of my age to negotiate with adults, especially one without any social standing. It is called street smarts. You need it to survive the streets after getting kicked out of an orphanage after all.

Grey laughed, "So there are people like me after all, huh?"

Vera gave Grey a concerned look, "Grey, we need to have a chat."

"Later. Right now, let's just listen to the kid."

I took a deep breath, "First question, I could learn from Grey instead, right?"

Grey scowled. "You would just impede my growth, boy!" he growled.

"Huh?" I deadpanned at him.

"You heard him," she sighed, "Grey doesn't want to train anyone so you are out of options. Besides, while Grey is the better swordsman, Rudolf is the better hand-to-hand combatant in terms of raw skill alone."

"Ok," I sighed, hiding my disappointment, "will I be staying with Grey? Because my first condition is that I will stay with Grey."

Vera's face contorted for a second. "Listen, kid-"

"Master Vera! It's alright! He's just a kid." Grey exclaimed. Vera raised her hands in defeat. This detail was strange, to say the least. Why did Vera not want anyone to stay with Grey? I decided to ignore that detail for now, but made a mental note of it.

"Alright then," Rudolf smirked, leaning forward. "any more questions or shall we go to conditions?"

"Yeah, let's go to conditions." I looked at him after a pause.

"My first condition is, as you already know, I will be staying with Grey. My second condition is that I want a duel with Avier, but not now as the time is not ripe. My third condition is that I will join the military school at the age of 11. My fourth and last condition is, if I want something which will accelerate my growth, I get it so long as you can get your hands on it. That is all."

"Little kid," Vera smiled, but if I hadn't known from past experience, I could have easily mistaken the smile for a genuine one, "what do we get in return?"

"Grey, Mr.Rudolf, you both get two wishes from me and I can accomplish it so long as it is in my power. You needn't ask now, but you can ask for it anytime in the future." I expedited to them.

"What about- Ah! Never mind! You didn't request any favours from me after all!" Vera sighed.

I chuckled,  but at the same time alarm bells began ringing in my head. Something felt wrong with Vera, but I couldn't put a finger on it. Anyways, that's not important now. What's important now was to get myself a decent place and get my revenge.

"Fine," I said to Rudolf. "I will be your disciple."

"Good," he smiled. "We'll start once you put on some weight."

*

POV: Vera

This boy.....is interesting.

He's already shown more flexibility than Grey in thought and behaviour. While Grey is mature and straightforward, the boy shows extreme plasticity. From experience, I can tell that despite his emaciated frame, he is extremely smart. The only way I can use him for my plans was to make sure he didn't have a fixed goal like Grey, so I must make sure that he takes out that noble brat as soon as possible.

My pawns are in place. The only thing left was to pull the trigger. The brat can make things work out even better, but I need to keep an eye on him. He seemed close to Grey and he might make Grey soft. I better increase surveillance on him from now on.

As I was lost in my thoughts while sitting on my bed, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I trembled and turned around to see a man in a navy blue dress and a balaclava mask.

"It's me, darling!" he retracted his hands and removed his mask, revealing my sweetheart Desmond. I smiled in relief as he sat on the bed. "So, what's up?"

"We have a new pawn in the making." I grinned like a maniac.

He groaned. "We don't want to make things even more complicated than they are already."

"I know," I sighed, "But he's got a lot of potential."

"May I know who it is?" he gave me a concerned stare.

I caught him by his shoulders and put him on my lap and started stroking his head. "Our dear Grey brought in a child who has a remarkable body in both physique and intelligence."

"Huh? Is that all? Anyone can get a remarkable physique and perspicacity by simple training." he sneered.

I sighed, "We can use him against Grey just like Nico, Cecilia and Willbeck. We just need to figure out how to use that 6 year-old."

There was silence in the room for a minute. I did nothing but stroke Desmond's hair and from the looks of it, he was pondering about what to do next. I wanted him to think forever, because that silky black hair....

"Alright!" He jumped up and stood on his feet. I moaned because I wanted to keep stroking him forever. "Vera, keep an eye on that kid for now. We'll decide what to do with him later on."

"Alright," I sighed. "Before you go, I require something from you."

"What's that?" He raised an eyebrow.

I got up, walked to the cupboard, took out the duct tape and sealed my mouth. As it was dark, he couldn't see me do it. Then I strided to the door and latched it. Then I walked up to him, went on my knees and pulled his pants down....

 *

POV: Grey

(AN: Y'all thought that I was gonna write a smut scene? Go touch grass bro, or better yet, get a partner🤪👎)

I swung my sword in circular and quicker motions on the front yard, making sure that I had no openings. To prevent any openings, I had to make sure that I delivered maximum power without using a wide opening. Of course this was for duelling one person at a time, but who cares? It's not like multiple people will gang up on me.

The Japanese are pretty good with their quick draw techniques derived from Iaijutsu. It ends a fight instantly. But the problem is that I don't have a proper sword for the technique as my Knightly sword's scabbard doesn't allow for quick draw techniques. But acquiring a katana for this use is a stupid idea for it lacks in durability despite the sharpness of the blade. I tried to use the quick draw, but due to the design of the scabbard, the initial phase of drawing out the sword was slowed down, thus reducing the move's efficiency as a fight-ender.

"Try without the holder?" I heard a voice behind me. I turned around to see Firenze standing behind me.

"Holder?" I gave him a puzzled look.

"You know, " He figeted with his fingers while looking at the scabbard, "Where you put your sword in when you are not using it."

"It's called a scabbard, boy!" I roared, annoyed by the interference. I had to get stronger to avenge Director Willbeck. The boy's hindering me.

"Try without it then!" He sighed.

I was puzzled. Sure, we could, but I would end up cutting myself. How on earth can the technique be used then? I gave him an annoyed look to make it clear that he was just disturbing me. Then, he suprised me.

He took out a dinner table knife, took the same pose I did earlier, but without a scabbard. He then showed me that he had cupped his left palm around the blade without touching it and his right palm holding the handle. He then drew out the knife quickly right when he opened his left palm while turning his waist, the very ame move I was trying to perfect on a Knightly sword. He had perfected it.

"Boy," I called out to him, "Thank you."

He looked at me with a toothy grin, showing off his pearl-white teeth. I then tried the same modifications which he added and it worked. I gave him a smile, mainly because I got a step closer to avenging Willbeck.

"So, when will you go to sleep?" he asked me. 

"I don't sleep till one in the morning. If you are going to lecture me on the importance of sleep, please. I wake up at 8 in the morning, 7 hours of refreshment is enough for me."

"You know," he began, "If you sleep earlier and wake up earlier, you can perform and improve your swordsmanship even faster in the morning."

"Really?" I shot him a questioning look.

"Trust me," he sighed. "It works for me."

I wanted to press X, but something else felt off.

"What is it?" I snapped at him.

He jumped back by my sudden startling behaviour. It was at this moment that I knew that I fucked up. Tears were forming in his eyes, but he was holding them back. I walked up to him and went on my knees.

"What is it?" I asked again, but with a softer voice.

He sniffled pathetically and wiped away his tears. "Will you please sleep with me tonight? I am scared."

I stared at him out of shock. "You are big enough to sleep on your own, right?"

"Y-yeah," he stammered, "B-but I don't f-feel s-s-safe...plus, that a-aunty seems to be n-not nice at all."

As he spoke, goosebumps came on his body. I sighed as I patted his head. 

You really need to be nice to kids, Grey, Master Vera used to chide me. Now I know why she said that. They were vulnerable and weak, just like I was before she saved me. Children used to induce disgust and malice within me, because they were the antithesis of what I wanted: power and elegance. However, after meeting him, sympathy for them arose alongside those feelings.

"Boy," I tried to comfort him, "That "aunty" is a good person, though she doesn't seem to be so. Don't judge a book by its cover. Also, I won't sleep with you, but if you want, I will stay with you."

The kid started jumping and squealing with happiness as I sighed in defeat. There was no stopping a kid once they wanted something. Of course I could just kill them outright but children below the age of 11 cannot be killed for such petty reasons.

We went to his room(earlier the guest room) on the first floor and the moment we entered, he dashed to his mattress and fell asleep the moment he hit it. I sighed at his petty behaviour, took out my sword and tried the quick draw technique exactly as the brat told me. It worked miraculously. Hell, it was slightly faster than quick-drawing a katana. I wonder how fast it would be if I was using a katana. I looked at the sleeping boy and gave him a wide grin.

I hope you will entertain me more from this point on.