"Leader, we already lost him!"
"Good, since we're already at our hideout."
After speeding up their motorcycles, for Kazuya to stop chasing them, they stopped their motorcycles at a certain place. It's an abandoned building and It's the Deadly Sins hideout.
One by one, they removed their helmets from their faces. The leader removed his helmet and his face was showed. His hair is long and has slanted eyes, the feature of the japanese.
He placed his helmet on his waist and signaled everyone to enter the place. Each of them entered the abandoned building and no one left behind.
After reaching the end of the first floor, the leader took his seat to the chair that seems like a throne. But It's made of iron, sacks and rocks.
"Okay, what do you think of that boy who chased us?"
The leader asked all of them equally. Not of them answered, because they already knew the answer. A normal human is not capable of that, so there's only one conclusion that they can arrive.
"That guy is a Soul Seal wielder."
A guy from the back of the group had whispered it. Even though he used a low voice, his statement echoed through the hallway and everyone at the group had heard it.
"Oh? Yukimura, you think so too?"
The whole group has stepped sideways so the leader can see his face. The man called Yukimura is in the center because all of them took a sidestep. His hair is so curly it looks like a bunch of bed hairs, and his dead fish eyes can make you think that he didn't sleep.
"Say, Yukimura, can both wielders sense each other?"
"I don't think so. I'm in the back, so I saw him very clearly and I didn't sensed anything."
He just looked at the leader with his usual dead fish eyes.
"Heh, it looks like we'll go Soul Seal hunting this month."
The leader stood up from his throne and stretched his hands then ordered everyone to:
"Everyone! Capture this wielder, and make sure that he's not going to escape!"
+++++
"Yukimura! Your on guard duty today!"
"I know, I was about to go there."
Yukimura says as he walk towards the basement. The creaking sound of the old ladder feels scary to move on, but not for Yukimura.
After getting down at the basement, he walks a few miles again to reach a certain cell. When he already arrived at the cell, a voice of a child was the first thing he heard:
"Yuuki-dono!"
"Yo, Rei."
It seems this two are actually close. Despite being a guard and a prisoner they have a bond. Yukimura just took a seat at the ground, behind the cell where Reiko was imprisoned.
"Yuuki-dono! How's patrol duty? It's so dark and boring here, degozaru!"
"It's nothing special but we met a weird guy."
"Tell me all about it, degozaru!"
Yukimura told Reiko all about what happened at their patrol duty. For Reiko, Yukimura is her only source of entertainment. Because every time he's in guard duty, he would tell her stories about his deeds.
While telling her stories, Yukimura noticed the girls outfit. She's still wearing the dress that she wears when she was captured. Yukimura just looked at the dress with concern.
"Don't worry about it, Yuuki-dono! My dress is still fine!"
Yukimura stopped looking at her dress and shifted his gaze inside the cell. The cell is so dirty and dark. If someone is not used to it, it could literally give her some creeps. But after living there for almost 7 months, she got used to it.
"Rei, your a strong girl, aren't you?"
"Not at all. Yuuki-dono! Your much stronger than me, degozaru!"
Yukimura stood up, and gave Reiko a head pat before leaving the cell. After leaving the basement, he whispered to himself:
"Everyone's already crazy, making a little girl suffer like that."
After he whispered that, he clenched his fists and said to himself:
"Just endure a little more, Rei. I'm going to make you leave this hell!"
+++++
The Deadly Sins have a sparring training every week to ensure skills and not get rusted at fighting. After finishing his guard duty, Yukimura has walked towards the 2nd Floor of the building. The 2nd Floor is the gang's sparring corner.
"Okay! Nishikata and Tomura! Fight!"
The two gang member has started their spar. Both of them has bandaged fists. In a spar, they're forbidden to deal heavy damages and at most, they can only deal light damages.
After the two gang members has sparred, It's now time for the next spar.
"Next! As per the usual! Yukimura and our boss! Kenji!"
After his name was called, he just at the floor.
"Good grief, I just arrived here and I already have to spar."
"That's only because your late."
Said the boss as he wrap his fists with the bandages. Yukimura walked towards the ring and did the same.
The two of them is now in the ring, while the boss has a fighting position, Yukimura just stood there, hands on the pocket.
"Umm, It's bothering me until now, but the boss always spar with Yukimura, isn't he?"
From the back of the crowd forming, there's a conversation happening.
"Oh, I forgot, your a newbie, aren't you? Well, that's only because out of all of us, Yukimura was the only one who has a Soul Seal. So the boss was the only match for him."
"I see."
"Match start!"
The boss immediately rushed in towards Yukimura. But he's still standing there, hands on his pockets. This is not because of confidence or anything, simply because... he already knows what to do.
The boss gave a punch towards Yukimura's face. Yukimura just dodged it by tilting his head a little bit.
"Good grief, I thought heavy damages are forbidden."
"That rule doesn't apply to us, fucker!"
The punch was so strong that it emitted so many air pressure. The boss was an ex-lightweight kickboxer. Despite his size, his punches are equal to middleweight. No one actually knows why he retired but the fact is... Kenji Miura, the boss of Deadly Sins is a very strong opponent.
After dealing the blow, Kenji raised his right foot and attempted to kick Yukimura. Yukimura took a back step to avoid the kick. He already knew what to do. Because the Soul Seal he has is the Foresight. He can't predict the future or anything.
The Foresight's power is to record all of the past fights of that person into your brain. Just one look to that person, he can know the fighting style, ability, habits etc. In short, he's judging his actions based from that records.
He's using that records to predict the opponents next move.
"The boss has a habit of kicking the opponent after punching. If you kick someone, you will leave an opening. It's located beside you! In short, your flank!"
After taking a back step, Yukimura rushed in towards Kenji. He's preparing his left fist for a punch towards the flank!
"Your aiming at my flank, aren't you?"
"Wha...?!"
Those words made Yukimura think of his actions.
"Did he found out?"
He tried to pulled back his punch but It's already moving and he can't stop it now.
"That's one of your weakness, Yukimura!"
Kenji said as he raise his left foot and kicked Yukimura on the face. He didn't held back to that one kick. The powerful and fast kick had made Yukimura fly out of the ring.
The audience has caught him so he didn't suffered anymore damage. It's actually a miracle that he's still alive after that kind of kick. He's still conscious but It's only a matter of time until he gets knocked out.
"Yukimura, you have so many weaknesses. But I'll tell you your most biggest weakness."
Kenji walked towards the now injured Yukimura and said something. Yukimura looked at him with eyes of fire. He really wants to know his biggest weakness.
"Your a... coward. That's your biggest weakness. I won't say anything more, you have to search for the answer that you seek."
"Wait, wha..."
Still not even finished on his words, Yukimura has passed out already. With eyes rolled out and a huge bruise on his face. It's a good thing that his neck is still fine after he received that kind of kick.
After he passed out, the gang members took him to a sack bed and let him sleep soundly
+++++
"Your a coward, that's your biggest weakness."
Yukimura opened his eyes with those words still intact to his brains. He rose from his bed, and whispered this question to himself.
"What did he mean by that? Facing him to fight is already courageous for me, right?"
He left the sack bed and walked to the 3rd Floor where a certain event is happening. It's exact 3:00 PM, and this hour is one hell of a torture for him.
It hurts him to go, but he still climbed the stairs towards the 3rd Floor. This is where the certain event is happening.
The moment he finished climbing the stairs that leads to the 3rd Floor, the first thing he saw was Reiko trying to run with 5 wheels in tow.
This is the daily training that she's doing so that the Soul Seal will not explode inside her.
Watching this happening is a great slap to Yukimura's face. This is already happening for 7 months, but he can't get used to it. After running with 5 wheels in tow, they made her jump for 500 times.
This kind of training is already intense for an 8 year old kid. Watching this unfold before his eyes, makes him boil. But he needs to resist, or else, his plan is going to fail.
He can't bear to see it anymore so he came back to the 2nd Floor. Absolute attendance is necessary, is the only reason he's coming to that event.
"I know that she needs to be physically strong to handle the Soul Seal, but isn't this too much? At this rate, she will die. She's still a kid, you know."
After he came down to the 2nd Floor, he heard again the usual negotiations happening between his boss and the founder of the Deadly Sins.
This is the reason why Yukimura can't really hate Kenji despite him being a leader. Because everyday, he's talking to the founder so that Reiko's training will be stopped. Even he thinks that this kind of training is too intense for a kid.
Adding to the treatment she just received. At first, the gang members was hesitant to do this to a kid but after 7 months, they've grown accustomed to it and their hearts became cold.
But Kenji is different. Everyday, he's calling the founder so that Reiko's treatment will be changed.
"Still, no?"
Kenji just released a heavy sigh after the call.
"The negotiation failed, huh?"
At Yukimura's question, Kenji just gave a slight nod.
"Yukimura, want to go somewhere to talk?"
+++++
The two of them left the hideout, and gone to a family restaurant to talk about things.
"Yukimura, I'm also a coward, aren't I? I want to save the kid but... I'm afraid that the founder will punish me."
Kenji said as he took a sip from his soda. Yukimura just said nothing. Both of them are cowards to not take any action and just watch the whole situation happen.
"Yukimura, do you know? I really miss those days. When we're still a small gang, we're not powerful but we're happy. All of us doesn't know where we belong, but we found this gang and joined."
After saying that, Kenji looked outside while his hands was in his pockets.
"I can't call us a gang back then. We're riding motorbikes but we're not doing anything that gangs will do. Instead of taking turfs, we're just helping cats get down from the trees, help bullied kids, and erase the graffiti from the walls."
Yukimura added those sentences, to Kenji's words. Those days on their gang are the days that they felt true happiness and they wished that they could go on forever.
"Hey, Yukimura, just what happened at our gang? Why did it come to this?"
Regret was the only thing you can see at Kenji's eyes. Yukimura also has the same question as him. It all started 7 months ago.
"Kenji, I'll tell you this. As I am now, I can't stand up to the founder. I saw his strength with my own two eyes. He's not human, he's a monster!"
"Yeah, If the founder was a guy we could defeat, we're not stuck on this situation right now."
Yukimura squeezed the paper cup that he was holding and looked at Kenji with eyes of fire.
"I can't defeat the founder, But I will at least save Rei!"
Kenji just stared at Yukimura with a surprised face.
"That's some resolve, you've got there. I made a mistake, I think your not the same coward as before. You're a different kind of coward now."
Kenji stood up from his seat and heads towards the exit door. Before opening the door, he said to Yukimura:
"I didn't hear anything so... execute your plan as much as you want."
After that, he left the family restaurant. Yukimura stared at his hand and clenched it again and again.
"I'll execute the escape plan tomorrow. I can't fail this, no, failure is not even an option! I've got to take Rei out of here."
The resolve and determination of Yukimura was on his clenched fists. His escape plan will be executed tomorrow, just what is he planning? Can he really escape Reiko with his plan?
END OF CHAPTER 18
Author's Note: Hello! Don't forget to leave a comment and a review! I have 7000 views so I'll guess that a hundred reads my story. Out of 100, there's only one commenting on my story. So please... if you like the story, comment down! I'm starting to get tired of this story, and I need some kind of motivation! Thank you!