Dragons VS Tigers

Shawn POV:

I sat there, with the scene of plunging my blade into that guy's neck playing over and over in my head.

It sickened me knowing that one person could leak so much blood.

I took deep breaths, sitting in the lotus position to try to clear my thoughts.

With a new presence of mind, I could now think much better.

After years of using the mediative stance Mamoru taught me, I learned that if you let your thoughts flow without interruption, you learn more about yourself.

The problem was trying to come to terms with what was revealed.

So as I sat there in the Zazen position, it began to do its job.

'What made me hesitate on killing that first guy?' 'Well it's because I was taught that killing was bad.

But I'm in a new world so are the rules the same?' 'Imagine what they would have done to those girls if it wasn't done.

Remember what they did to the Shimada. What they will do to Kanezaka. Why was I scared of killing?

I've heard of people turning into monsters once they got their first taste of killing.

What if I just suddenly became a serial killer?

But now that I think about it, I didn't feel enjoyment out killing those guys.

I felt like it was deserving.

They had no problem harassing people who couldn't defend themselves, killing those who did fight back.

They were fine with kidnapping, human trafficking and other such crimes.

They were the true monsters, and there was nothing wrong with killing monsters.

Coming out of the Zazen, I can hear the sustained fire of multiple gunshots and a fast clanging sound.

Realizing that I was missing Mamoru in action, I hop up and run towards the noise.

I arrive just in time to see him dodge the blade of someone behind him then use that guy as a shield as someone opens fire on him.

WHen the gunman kills his own teammate, he immediately looks shocked and stops firing allowing Mamoru to toss the dead body at another guy with a knife.

He easily dispatches that guy and turns towards the last two guys.

One is a bulky tall guy with a scar on the side of his face who I can clearly tell is the boss.

I remember Mamoru telling me to sit back and let him handle this because he found out someone was here so I was assuming that it was him.

The bulky guy slaps his only other gang member on the back sending him off to his death with no intentions on helping.

The guy begins opening fire once more and I start to worry as Mamoru makes no attempt to take cover.

Instead I hear the constant clanging of bullets being deflected and falling to the ground by his katana.

I stand and watch his movements, amazed at seeing a person deflect in action.

Too focused on him, I fail to notice the bulky guy pull something out of his pocket and causally toss it at the deflecting Mamoru.

Smoke fills the area around the two, obscuring my vision of them.

Ignoring the ramblings of the bulkier guy as I start to worry for Mamoru in the smoke cloud.

From playing Genji, i knew it was more difficult to deflect projectiles if you couldn't see them coming or didn't know it was coming.

I needed to help him here whether he wanted to or not for many reasons.

The main one being that he was my ride home because I didn't know how to drive.

Pulling the guys phone out my pocket, i take the back off and pry the battery out.

Focusing on the current within the battery, I begin extracting its power.

Forming a ball of lightning the size of a tennis ball, I look over in time to see a shotgun aimed at Mamoru's face.

Without hesitation, I toss the dangerous ball of electricity at the bulky guy, knocking him off his feet and making him drop the gun.

Mamoru looks at me in shock then back at the bulky guy, standing to his feet.

My eyes grow wide as I witness a red dragon crawl from his right shoulder and wrap around his back growing in size as it does until it rests on his head, absorbing with him.

His words give me goosebumps as I can feel them shake my entire core.

"Doragon no ikari o abare sasete kudasai!"

As the bulky guy struggles to his feet, Mamoru suddenly appears before him punching him in the face and his cigar flies out of his mouth.

Gritting his teeth, the guy punches back at Mamoru but he disappears and reappears to his left, punching the guy in the stomach bringing him to his knees, before punching him in the face again.

The guy screams in rage, holding out both his hands as he attempts to catch Mamoru, who once again disappears and reappears to his right, kicking the guy in the face with a spinning kick.

THe momentum carries the guy, landing ungracefully on his stomach a few feet away.

Slamming his fists into the ground, he jumps up, his face red with anger as he once again charges towards Mamoru.

The guy, punches towards Mamoru, who ducks his fist then recovers his original stance, punching the guy.

He attempts another punch that Mamoru also dodges then counters with his own.

As he raises his fist for another punch, Mamoru doesn't let up punching him rapidly all across his body.

His fists are just red blurs as the guys body shakes with the furry of punches that Mamoru is dishing out.

From the continuous punches, the guy's legs give out, and he falls on his back.

When he falls Mamoru pulls his fist back, red mist forming at his fist.

He brings it down hard on the guy's face, causing his legs to rise in the air from the impact.

He lifts his head to the sky as the world grows still and there's nothing but silence.

Turning towards me, he begins to walk slowly away from the guy while holding his bleeding side.

After a couple of steps, I see the guy start to stir behind him.

He sits up suddenly, holding his shotgun and aiming it at Mamoru's back.

"Mamoru look out!" I shout.

Mamoru turns, punching out just as the guy takes a shot with the shotgun.

A red dragon extends from fist, a red version of Genji's, and the shotgun shot is absorbed by the dragon.

It pauses while a few feet away from the guy then roars, blasting the guy further away who lands in a heap.

The dragon fades, along with all the red from his tattoo and Mamoru falls to his knees.

I begin to run to Mamoru to help him but stop as I hear laughter.

Both me and Mamoru look at the guy as he slowly rises to his feet.

"Why can't you just be a good boy and die Hachiman?" Mamoru asks.

Hachiman continues to laugh.

"The dragons are impressive as ever.

But once you fought both of Sojiro's, yours is just a bit annoying."

When he says this, I understand why there was so much animosity between the two as this was probably the guy who injured or killed Lady Shimada.

"The Hashimoto have been the Shimada's rival for centuries. Been under your shadow for just as long.

But no more. The year of the Hashimoto is soon, the year of the tiger."

Wind begins to blow and his eyes glow orange as the air around him creates a dome.

Both me and Mamoru stare in disbelief as Hachiman gets highlighted in an orange glow and the form of a spirit tiger rises behind him roaring.

Orange claws extrude from his hands as the jaws of the tiger rest on his head.

His next words shock us both as he looks at us with a smirk,

"Tora no tsume o ajiwua."*

*Taste the tigers claws.