บท 8: CH 8: Memory of Regrets
------A/N: THE FLASHBACK CONTINUES.....--‐--‐-‐-----------
The Nemickas entered the decrepit establishment with a slight worry. The walls, the floor, and the ceilings were all made out of wood. And some spots were either stained, broken, softened and even has some mildew here and there. The place also smelled musty, like they weren't aware that the word 'Cleaning' exists.
In short, the place was wack. His determination was starting to recede once again like earlier, faced in such a situation where he began to question his own capabilities of why of all the places he could've picked, this one was the one he picked. But he immediately resolved his doubts and continued walking to the reception-lobby area of the Dojo.
And there he met an old lady manning the receptionist desk. The old woman noticed his arrival and she strugglingly got up from her seat to greet the young man who entered their establishment.
"Hello there young man... Welcome to our Shigawara Dojo, how may i help you?"
The old lady greeted with a genuine smile.
She was just really happy that for the first time in a while, a customer entered the Dojo. She felt a little ecstatic from seeing such a fine able-bodied looking young man enter their Dojo.
"Hello to you too, my name is Nemickas Raymond, but my Japanese citizenship name should be Raimon. I came here 2 days after I applied for membership"
Raymond greeted back and stated his purpose for coming here.
After hearing this, the old woman felt even more happy for finding out that the young man was an actual confirmed customer of their Dojo.
"Oh!... Wait there and let me check on the list"
The old woman responded with a slight stutter.
She began checking the list of the newly-invited members and quickly found one recently-inputted log with the name 'Nemickas Raimon'. There was only one new log in the interface on her computer because he was the only customer after all.
"Oh yes! confirmed! And so again, Welcome to 'our' Shigawawar to confirm him as a member.
"And my name is Nakamura Ritsuko, but you could call me Tsubaa-san"
Ritsuko introduced herself.
"I shall keep that in mind, Tsubaa-san"
Raymond responded politely.
"Thank you, and Raimon-kun, your Nihonggo sounds native"
The old woman thanked and praised Raymond for his good Japanese.
"Oh come on, it's not that good"
Raymond responded with an embarrassed laugh.
"But yeah I guess I take back what I said being wack"
Raymond let himself be honest.
But to his surprise, Ritsuko's expression did not change one bit.
"O-oh, yeah but it is still wack though, but so far, the service definitely isn't"
Raymond was nervous, but once again let out his honest thoughts.
"You are correct though young man"
Ritsuko agreed with the young man in front of her, which made the latter feel uncomfortable with her apathetic responses.
"..."
After what she said, there was only silence for a while, until Raymond saw the old woman's expression of trying to hold in her laughter.
The both of them laughed at the same time after that. They both knew that they were gonna fit with each other and they thought it was a good thing to get acquainted already, since Raymond's stay in the Dojo would be a week-long session.
-----
In a wide Japanese-style room with tatami mats on the bamboo-made floor and traditional Japanese arts and paintings hanging on the paper walls, there is a young man sitting in the middle in a kneeling-sit pose.
That young man is Raymond, currently in the beginning of performing everything he learned from this Dojo, this was his last test so that he could finally finish his time here after a week-long session in this Dojo.
Looking behind the posing young man, a taller rough-looking older man was seen standing firmly outside of the opened sliding door, he was named 'Nakamura Horin' , he might look rough but opposing this is his powerfully disciplined and educated aura. Beside him was Ritsuko his wife, the old lady assisting her husband in managing this old Dojo.
The both of them were watching the very last customer they will ever have performing everything they taught to him for the past week. From the art of meditation, to some simple Warm-up and Cool-down stances and exercises, up until the extreme Jiu-jitsu that he masterfully learned in just one week.
He was truly a talented individual, graceful but firm in both stance and movements. His every thrust of hands were swift and powerful, even capable of making the air in the direction of his punch flee from their positions.
His kicks were stretched but concentrated, making every space in this training ground his own territory of performance.
Up until the very last powerful but disciplined stomp on the tough bamboo floor, shaking the room itself, he was extremely remarkable on every aspect.
It was now also observed that this entire Dojo was now clean and even renovated. This was all due to his financial and labor help of cleaning this entire Dojo along with the Nakamura couple, with his financial power, he also helped renovate this place, changing but not subtracting anything important from this sanctuary of education. The Nakamura couple were very thankful to him for being of help regarding their failing business. But earlier, they have also explained to Raymond that they were already planning on shutting down the Dojo to live a simpler life somewhere else even before he came here.
But much to their surprise, he still insisted on renovating the Dojo and having them keep it despite them living somewhere else. He also insisted to give the Dojo some bodyguards and caretakers because the couple would be away from their Dojo surrounded by gangs. At first, they both told the blonde young man that what he has done to the Dojo was enough and that he doesn't need to hire caretakers and bodyguards, but the young man managed to convince them either way.
The only thing that they could pay him with were their wisdom regarding philosophy and martial arts, which they both happily taught him.
He truly respects these two couple that not even accounting his financial help for them, he even started calling the both of them Sensei three days ago. He had learned so much from them about him and the many aspects life, that was why he regarded them so high up. They also never treated him differently even after finding out his vast wealth and political power over America, which made him more respectful towards them.
In contrast to his wife's playful and talkative personality, Horin was a man of few words, but when he talks it always meant something deep, it always consisted something about his life, which is the part he truly lacked on. He had always been the kind of person who lacks self-analysis, someone who loves analyzing the world around him, but tend to forget analyzing his own self first. Truly what a young scientist is.
After finishing his graceful performance, an applauding clap resounded behind him, it was Ritsuko clapping as she smiles while her husband just stands menacingly beside her.
"You've learned everything we could ever teach you----"
*BANG
The words of the old woman were cut short when they heard a gunshot sound.
The three of them soon turned to the source of the sound, which was located at the reception area. They all broke a sweat and decided to avoid encountering the criminal in the lobby.
"YOU OLD FOOLS! WHERE ARE YOU HUH?"
The home invader with a gun shouted for the Nakamura couple to show themselves.
The couples heard this and immediately recognized that voice. They both looked at each other and nodded, they soon went up to the nervous Raymond, Horin snatched his arms forcefully and went towards a suspicious-looking wall at the far right of the training gym.
Ritsuko then pushed a hidden button from a random painting's frame. After pushing the button, the three of them witnessed the paper wall caving in, presenting a dark space that was behind the random wall all this time.
Raymond was confused and terrified about all of this, with questions flooding his mind every second. But he calmed himself down using one of Horin's teachings to him.
"When a problem decides to show itself, get nervous and get moving , don't panic and don't hesitate"
A vivid voice of Horin from one of Raymond's memories resounded within his mind and soon calmed him down.
The couple pushed him into the space within the wall, and immediately closed the wall, leaving him inside.
"WHAT?! HEY!!! TSUBAA-SAN SENSEI!!! HORIN SENSEI!!! WHAT ARE YOU BOTH DOING?! "
Raymond yelled out for his senseis' names, but from the outside, none of his yells ever made it out, due to the sound-proofed nature of the walls within this Dojo.
He continued banging on the surprisingly metal wall from the inside and continued calling out for his senseis and asking them questions desperately.
From the outside, the Nakamura couple led each other to the center of the training room to sit calmly, despite of the dangerous situation.
Both of them might look calm and serene on the outside, but deep inside, they were just as nervous as Raymond earlier. They both held hands tightly while sitting in a meditative pose.
They soon heard the stomping of the person they undoubtedly know about, the footsteps were getting closer and louder.
And soon the invader broke through the sliding door that separates training room from the hallway.
The invader dressed up like any other terrorist do, a black head mask only showing his face, dressing all black with a single pistol in his hands.
"HEYYYY!!! YOU FINALLY SHOWED YOURSELVES!"
The invader playfully acknowledged the two people sitting in front of him.
But much to his surprise, no one in the room recognized his existence except for himself.
"What the... WHATS WRONG WITH THE BOTH OF YOU?! WHY ARE YOU GUYS MEDITATING AT A TIME LIKE THIS??"
The invader was baffled at the surprising actions of the Nakamura couple.
The couple just blatantly ignored his existence and continued sitting calmly in their meditative pose while closing their eyes.
They were both so calm to the point that they have already accepted their fate at this point, their fate to protect Raymond til their last breath
"YO-YOU STUPID GERIATRIC FOOLS!!!"
The invader became mad at the fact that he was being blatantly ignored.
He then pointed his pistol at Horin's head, and with a threatening but calmer voice and said.
"But Ok, games are over....."
"Where-is-the-American-guy?"
The invader leaned his head closer to the meditating Horin's face and asked where Raymond is, saying his words word for word in an intimidating way.
At this point, Ritsuko couldn't help but break a sweat that trickled down her neck slowly.
(It was all true, everything that Raymond's assistant said we're true, they were definitely gonna use the hiding criminals to try and assassinate him)
Ritsuko finally believed what Raymond's assistant said, the same could also be said Horin.
(But I did not expect it to be Gorou,
But despite his obvious threat that holds heavy weight within their old hearts, they still pressed on and steeled themselves.
The invader sensing their refusal to back down, spoke in a cold tone.
"So I guess you both are useless now"
After speaking, he pulled the trigger, but to his surprise, the bullet only hit the floor. He now noticed Horin's hands grabbing his wrist, this was what led his aim to the floor. In the end, Horin was still a powerful martial artist, guns might be powerful, but it was not enough to scare off Horin's skills away from his body.
Seeing this, the hired hitman gritted his teeth behind his head mask. He then made a weird hand sign, pointing towards Ritsuko with his unoccupied hands.
Horin realized the meaning behind those signals and immediately moved his body to save Ritsuko from the incoming bullet, but much to his skills, he did not know where the bullet will come from, as he just knew that it was coming.
"Fool"
The masked man just smiled and ridiculed Horin for his futile actions.
Immediately right as Horin got to his wife, an object faster than sound cutting through the air erupted behind his head.
All this time, the masked man who invaded their Dojo did not actually plan to kill them with his hands. There was actually a sniper in-hiding hidden on the roof a house beside their Dojo, who was on a perfect spot to do an assassination in the part of the house they are currently in.
In the act of protecting his wife, Horin was too late to realize that he has been baited into a 'Killing two birds with one stone' tactic, and even inwardly cursed at himself for his utter stupidity
The bullet went right through his skull from the back of his head, and got out of his head through his forehead with ease. After exiting Horin's head, the bullet continued on towards the unguarded Ritsuko, entering through her temples, plunging deep inside her head. But even after going through Ritsuko's head, the bullet still continued onto the floor, making a hole as large as a person's eye socket. As it turns out, the bullet was actually too large and too powerful for Horin's poor-thought out plan of using his body to shield her from the bullet to work.
Both the husband and wife's lifeless bodies fell onto the stonecold floor.
--------
Inside the hidden compartment, Raymond could not hear anything and so all he could do was stay anxious all the time, hoping for the safety of the both of his mentors. At this point, due to the amount of time that had passed with no one opening the wall that leads into his hidden compartment, he could no longer help the tears that started to well up from his eyelids and it all then began helplessly streaming down his face. He was now questioning himself of his possible involvement that led his two mentors to danger.
After a while of thinking, he came up with an accurate conclusion. He had already figured out that it might've been one of those companies competing with his that hired that mad-sounding invader with the mission to kill him. He knew of this with utmost certainty because he remembered that Horin himself had already settled his disputes with the gangs surrounding this place long ago, and so he thought that there was no way that it was one of those gangs who completely feared Horin to the point of shitting their pants.
After reaching the conclusion of his deduction, he knew that he had to get out and save his mentors from those people. He then steeled his resolve and started searching the fake wall that led outside for some possible hidden button that would let him out of this compartment. Because he thought that there was no way a hidden compartment such as this would have no means of letting the person inside out of here.
Time passed and he still continued searching, but found nothing on the fake wall. And so he continued his search on the other walls and lo and behold, he found a hidden pressure plate the same dark color as the wall. He pushed it with all of his might as it was heavy, until he heard a clicking sound in front of him.
Much to his shock, the wall in front of him was the one that opened, instead of the wall that led to the training gym where the Nakamura couple could possibly be in. He became sullen by this revelation but he further strengthened himself and walked into the dark door.
Beyond the dark door was a dark hallway, it creeped him out a little bit but he got rid of that thought as there were more pressing matters to attend to. He started walking, and then it became a desperate sprinting, he was desparate, desparate to save his mentors. He had already figured that he had something to do with this, that he might've been the reason for all of this, and so the only thing he could do to repay them was to save them, and if he could not do that.
Raymond continued with his desperate spring and began seeing a door with a door knob, as he got close, he nervously opened it. As the door opened wide, it revealed the rainy night outside.
"Wha-what?...."
He muttered, shocked.
He was now outside, in one of the street roads of the neighborhood where the Dojo is. But as he looked at the direction signages, he could confirm that he was very far from the Dojo. However, he still knew where it is and so he rushed towards a nearby road and called a taxi. He told the taxi the address of the Dojo.
After a minute, the taxi finally arrived in the Dojo.
He then got off the taxi to see a scene. A scene of a clean-up, he could see many people in black wearing masks as they swiftly cleaned up the entire criminal scene.
Witnessing all of this, he immediately knew that this was his secretary's doing, Hussein's clean-up operation. It was an operation group led by Hussein with the purpose of cleaning up whenever they, as entrepreneurs, would do something immoral and illegal. It was established by Hussein with the goal of protecting Raymond's and his company's reputation, it was an operation in the dark. He was extremely against this sort of thing, but it was his board members led by Hussein that convinced the other to force him to agree. They have always mouthed to him on how this could save him from so many skirmishes and inconveniences in his life as a world-wide entrepreneurs. He was still against it even now, and so he never actually used this group because he never tried to do anything that would go against his principles.
And so he rushed towards the inside of the Dojo angrily, many people cleaning up saw him and instantly recognized him, some of them tried to stop him from going inside but was immediately pressed against the ground with his newfound Taijutsu skills learned from his mentors. He continued madly rushing towards the inside of the Dojo, just to find Hussein in the training gym, staring at the three people laid on the bloody floor.
The other was a person clad in black, with a gun on his hands, there were several holes on his body, Raymond concluded this as the hired hitman that wanted to hunt his life, he shuddered at the thought and moved onto the other two bodies.
"N-"
That wasn't even a word that came out of his mouth, it was just a sound, a sound filled with an infinite amount of regret and frustration.
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