End Of Our Grief

As Akumu and Urushi flew over a great forest they could see the abandoned building on the horizon. As they drew closer Akumu asked him, "Do you think Botan would be there?"

He then responded, "Botan isn't the kind of person to do fetch quests like these. Even if it's for something as important as EDEN, he sees sitting on that chair as a more valuable use of his time."

"You said that EDEN can change one's Cursed Technique to anything they desire. Does that mean they can create new ones too?", Akumu then asked.

Urushui responded, "You are correct, the potential that weapon has is infinite. However, you still need to use Cursed Energy to power those Techniques so its power isn't omnipotent."

"Then why didn't you use it on yourself?? You could have ended so much suffering if a man like you had EDEN. The binding vow didn't stop you from picking yourself did it?", Akumu asked.

Urushi said calmly, "Im still a sinner, remember? I don't deserve that power because of the amount of suffering that I have caused. Which is why I'm trusting you with it."

Just as he said that, an incredibly long chain extended from the forest wrapping around Urushis leg.

Just before he got brutally pulled into the ground Urushi shouted, "KEEP GOING, I'LL BE FINE."

As Urushi fell into the forest below the leaves of the trees hid his body. Hesitatingly Akumu accelerated towards the site at even greater speeds.

As Urushi crashed into one of the trees he braced his body, as he broke several branches before impacting into the ground, leaving behind a semi-sized crater.

As he slowly got up he dusted his body that was slightly injured from the fall. Then suddenly the voice of a woman calls out to him,

"A last-minute binding vow to turn all of the senses that you had retained into physical prowess. Not that bad."

As he turned around he saw a woman standing on one of the tree branches behind him. She wore a skin-tight black outfit, as well as held a long chain that extended into a small bag in her back.

As Urushi spoke she pulled out a kunai knife while attaching the end of it to the beginning of the chain.

"Did Botan send you here? Or did you come here of your own volition Tsubaki?", he asked.

She responded, "Naturally he ordered me to. As one of the Elder Dragons, I have no choice but to follow all of the orders that he gives. However, I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart."

Urushi asked her, "Must we fight? Hasashi wouldn't want to see the three of us bickering like children."

Tsubaki shouted at him, "Instead of worrying about that dead man maybe you should focus, on the enemy behind you."

Due to the effects of the last-minute binding vow, Urushi had not sensed the man who had hidden behind him.

He wore an all-black cloak paired with a thick black blindfold that almost hid his face but left his tied-back grey hair. If you looked closely you could make out, his murky yellow skin. Oddly enough he wore a black steel choker around his neck, with chains that reached to each of his arms.

In his arms, he carried a double-handed battle axe that he swung powerfully at Urushi, which he dodged swiftly. He jumped onto the axes head while delivering a powerful kick to the man's head, sending him flying back.

If it wasn't for Tsubaki's warning, Urushi would have died right there and then.

As the man slowly got up from the tree that he crashed into, he jumped towards Urushi with terrifying power preparing to slash at him again. Thats when Urushi notes,

"Fighting without my senses was a bad Idea."

As he quickly undid the binding vow, he barely dodged another strike from the man which divided the ground beneath him. As he backflipped out of the way onto a tree, he quickly lept as Tsubaki threw the chain at him, partially destroying its trunk.

Urushi notes it down, "That's dangerous."

As he quickly lands on a tree branch he jumps from tree to tree to try and escape the duo. That's when the yellow man suddenly appears in front of him, with his axe in tow. As he swings vertically at him, Urushi barely ducks while noting, "I can't sense this guy's cursed energy?!?"

He then quickly grabs him by the legs, successfully picking him up while carrying him on his back as he shouts, "Your too damn heavy!"

He then throws him into another tree, causing him to drop his weapon. 

The second that he did, the whip-like chains, extended from Tsubaki, towards Urushi once again, which he barely dodged leaving behind a scratch on his face that bled.

"Tch", Tsubaki said as she engaged with Urushi in hand-to-hand combat.

The much taller Tsubaki was at an advantage, however, Urushi was the most experienced and excelled the most at this close range.

Tsubaki tried to leg sweep Urushi however, he jumped up dodging successfully, as he pulled out a stick that he had hidden away earlier and threw it at her like a spear. Tsubaki, swings her chain, destroying the stick as it travels towards Urushi. Luckily dodging the attack, Urushi quickly grabbed the chain turning the battle into a tug of war.

As the two fought for control over the chain, Urushis muscles and veins in his arms began to show despite how chubby they were. Urushi then winning over the pulling battle attempts to pull her weapon away from her only to see, that the chain wouldn't stop extending from the bag no matter he much he pulled away.

Tsubaki then grabbing onto the portion of the chain that she had, jumped off the tree, as Urushi struggled to carry her.

Then suddenly while swinging the blunt side of his axe, the recovered yellow-skinned man hit, Urushi on the right side, breaking his right rib cage and arm, causing him to hit one of the trees before crashing into the ground.

Tsubaki then said maniacally as she looked upon the injured Urushi who had fallen so far from grace. "I didn't possess any Cursed Techniques since I was young. So instead of accepting my fate as a weakling, I developed my proficiency in many weapons. However, once I ascended to the rank of an Elder Dragon, Botan bestowed me with the chain of a thousand miles. As long as the end of the chain is hidden, it can extend infinitely!"

As she said that the chain slowly shrank back into her bag. Urushi struggled to stand as he assessed the damage that he had sustained while coughing up blood.

"6 broken ribs, my lungs are punctured, and my right arm is useless. When was the last time that I was cornered like this?"

As he slowly got up Cursed Energy began to slowly emit back from his body once again as he shouted, "I can't fail now, especially when I have people counting on me this time!"

He then crouched down, before quickly disappearing from the spot that he stood on. As Tsubaki wondered where he disappeared, she jumped away in fear as Urushi ran straight past her at incomprehensible speeds. Urushi was targeting the yellow-skinned1 man.

Seeing that dodging wasn't an option he tried to block his attack with his axe, however, as Urushi struck the weapon he shouted,

"BLACK FLASH!"

Suddenly a burst of Cursed Energy emitted from his left fist as sparks of black lighting bursted from the now shattered axe. Urushi broke through his weapons# smashing in his face and destroying his mask. The attack sent him flying, back into a nearby tree.

As this took place Tsubaki threw the Kunai knife that was attached to the chain, at Urushi. However, he dodged instead letting the chain, pierce his already destroyed, right arm. Then with his remaining strength, he grabbed onto that chain while pulling onto it.

Thinking that she could win this tug of war she too tried to wrestle for control, yet somehow she lost?

As she was sent flying towards Urushi, she let go of the chain, while trying to regain her footing. However, he quickly dashed towards her closing that distance.

"Im sorry Hasashi but she just won't listen!", he said, as he delivered a powerful strike to her stomach knocking her down.

As he turned around to check on the position of that yellow man, he saw him struggle to stand back up. Despite him bleeding heavily from his head, he managed to tank the attack. As the blindfold slowly fell off his head Urushi gasped in shock.

His face was way older now, however, Urushi still recognized him. It was his long-dead son Haruto.

Urushi shouted while turning back to Tsubaki, "WHAT TRICKERY IS THIS??"

As he said that he raised his left arm to block Haruto and quickly jumped towards him. Successfully delivering a powerful kick that created distance between the two.

Tsubaki then stood up while laughing maniacally, "This is the work of Zefear! He experimented a little with dead bodies while working on that ageing acceleration drug. His new research allowed him to resurrect the dead, at the cost of their inability to produce any more Cursed Energy. By combining the two drugs I was able to create this zombie from Haruto all just to torment you even more the day I get to kill you! Just think about it, dying at the hands of your son that you watched die all those years ago?? Wouldn't that be fit for a sinner like you?"

As she laughed, Urushi shouted at her, "YOU HAVE TAKEN THIS TOO FAR GODDAMIT."

As he stood back up on his feet, killing intent began to pour out of the man, like a tsunami flooding a city. His killing intent was so powerful that, it almost suffocated, even the zombie to death. As Tsubaki struggled to breathe, Urushis' form began to change.

He grew even taller as his clothes stretched and ripped due to his growing size. His half-broken glasses, fell off his head, as its size was no longer suitable for his head, while the shoes that he wore, tore apart due to his increasing mass. He had gone from a 5 ft 2-inch old chubby-looking male to a 6 ft 1-inch athlete.

Urushis Cursed Technique was restoration. It was a Technique that could only be used on any item once at a time. Once it was used it would revert that item back to its best condition for 5 minutes. Urushi had used this Technique on himself, to restore his body back to his peak condition from his Assassin days.

He then said, as an expression of boredom spread across his face, "I'm sorry Hasashi, but it looks like your wife is going to join you soon."

With great speed that looked like teleportation, he transported to the remains of Zombie Harutos weapon and picked him the long iron handle from the floor.

As he held it in his arms and inspected it he said, "This will do for now I guess."

As he made eye contact with his son, Haruto for the very first time since his resurrection had felt fear. 

As that emotion paralysed him Tsubaki jumped back quickly trying to run away.

With great speed, Urushi teleported behind Haruto, before quickly bashing his skull into the earth with the handle granting him a quick and merciful death.

As Urushi looked at his hands he saw that they were covered in the blood stains of his son. A tear then fell from his eyes as he turned his attention towards Tsubaki.

As she ran she threw the chain at him once more, only for Urushi to easily catch in his hands. Then using it like a race track, Urushi ran on top of the chain, with such great speed, that his weight never fully applied to it.

He then stomped on top of her stomach forcing her to the ground while restraining her. As she tried to push him off, Urushi smashed the handle into the ground, but just a centimetre of her head crushing the ground below her.

He then said menacingly, "If you continue to resist I really will kill you okay?"

She simply nodded her head as the man's presence overwhelmed her senses.

Urushi then spoke, "In your attempt to make me suffer you have forced me to watch my son die not just once, but twice. Do you have no respect for the dead?"

She struggled to speak due to his overwhelming intensity. Urushi then shouted, "FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME THESE LAST 8 YEARS I SHOULD KILL YOU RIGHT NOW."

Before Tsubaki died, she said, "Just kill me then. I have nothing left. My family didn't want me because of my lack of Technique. And this Assassin world is too suffocating to stay in. Without my revenge or Hasashi, this life has no meaning..."

However, that overwhelming killing intent suddenly disappeared as she felt the weight lift off her chest. As she opened her eyes and got up she was surprised to see Urushi standing while looking away from her.

 He then said, "I told you earlier. Hasashi wouldn't want to see his fighting like this. The last wishes that he left to me... that he left to us are about to be fulfilled. Don't you at least want to see that be achieved before you pass on?"

As she thought about it carefully, she began to cry intensely, "Im... I..."

She struggled to think about what to say. She had believed Botans words, when she knew the truth this whole time. And now that she had come face to face with the truth, she had felt disgusted at her own selfishness.

Urushi then said, "I hate you. And that will never change for as long as I live. Even in hell, I still will resent you for what you did, however, I don't want to kill you. Hasashi would give me an earful in the afterlife if I did."

He then extended his bloody hand out towards Tsubaki while saying, "Which is why, we should go see the choice that boy will make together. That is how we will end this 8-year-long conflict."

As she took his hand, the two temporarily reconciled. The two now walked on a bright path towards the future. One where the two would fight no longer but instead live in peace.