Okay, this Omake was supposed to come out like 6 months ago, but I hate writing (though I love stories). I finally got some of that umph back and decided to write it now. Time is set for during the two days that Joe is not going out as Apeiron.
I may have studied Japanese (like 10 years ago) and watch anime in Japanese (with subtitles) but I am in no way an expert in the language. If I have any errors please let me know. (Corrections by native speakers only please)
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It had been a while since he had last been out and about, Joe realized. He should go to a bar or something. That worked out well when he met Cecil. Maybe in a different part of town, like somewhere in the former ABB territory, but best to blend in, just in case.
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A shinobi is supposed to fulfil a purpose. To be a tool, a weapon, but what is a weapon without a wielder? The thinker girl was dead, as was his true aruji {master}. Oni Lee had been serving for so long he could not remember how to lead. The bomb girl was insane and dying. He couldn't remember what he used to do, back in his days leading the Jade Triad. He was... tired. A quote half remembered surfaced in his mind '... like butter scraped over too much bread.' He couldn't lead the gang. His master was dead and he refused to follow Bakuda. He tried to think of something... plan for... to do... his head hurt. Also his arm hurt.
So here he was with a cast on sitting in an izakaya {bar} he had only been in a few times. He had gone to his favorite bar, but found the building had been destroyed by those hot crystal things that Bakuda made. She was brash and foolish, destroying that which made the ABB home. He remembered when he and his... his... nevermind, he couldn't remember. That was happening more frequently. He needed to think of something else. Get his mind off of things.
He looked up from his sake and saw a bishonen {beautiful young man} walk into the bar, look around and sit down at the half of the bar that had the least people sitting in it. His half. He almost attempted a glare, but then realized that he did not care. What he was paying attention to was the way that the young man walked. Smooth and efficient. He recognized a trained martial artist.
"Hello there, do you mind if I sit here?" The boy asked. He was tall, muscled and had that stereotypical boy band bishonen look, smooth voice, his posture showing respect. He would have been perfect as a negotiator back in the Jade Triad... wait he meant ABB, the Triad was long gone... long gone like the ABB would be, like Lung now was.
"Ah. {yeah}" Was his only reply, letting the boy sit down. Boy? Was he a boy? How old was this stranger? Somewhere around 20? How old was Oni Lee now? It... had been so long.
"Thanks," the young one looked at the menu for a while and asked "what would you recommend?"
"Saa. {don't know}" He indicated that he didn't really know or care what this one ordered. The ones he cared for... the comrades that he cared about were dead. Now he was alone.
The waitress walked up. "I'll just have what he's having." the waitress walked away. She wasn't even a proper Geisha. Why didn't he go to his favo- right, it's a smoldering pile of crystal with corpses in it. Was all of that death even worth it? Was anything worth it? The boy looked at his cast.
"Looks like the ABB caused you some trouble huh?" Oni Lee (he didn't have any other name, not for years now) stared at the newcomer. "Well at least you won't have to worry about them much anymore." Then the fool realized that he was talking shit about the ABB in (former) ABB territory and quickly looked around and stopped talking. Honestly Oni Lee didn't care about the ABB, he had few friends in it and they had all died in the recent attacks, either from their enemies or due to Bakuda. Ah, if only she and that damn usagi {rabbit} hadn't shown up, then his master would still be here. Then he would still have family.
"Bakuda wa shinubeki. {Bakuda should just die}" He hated speaking English. The Europeans called it the whorehouse language, and for good reason. It was a horrible mix of Latin and Germanic based languages that meshed poorly. He wouldn't have moved to this country if he could have afforded not to. Housing prices in Japan were so high that they had 99 year mortgages, and that was before Kyushu sank and made it so that unless you had a family home you were out of luck and had to move out. Like he was out of luck, back then, and now.
After receiving his sake and taking a drink with a slight wince. Ha, the boy hadn't had sake before had he? The young man continued "Maybe, but I think that we've had enough death around here. What I'd like is if all the gang members would just stop what they are doing right now and go back to peaceful lives, or even become heroes." The bishonen said it with a smile, but that was absurdly idealistic. Unrealistic. Oni Lee had been an idealist once, but had it beaten out of him time and time again. Power was the only thing that mattered in the end. Lung was the last person to teach him that when he took everything Oni Lee had built.
"Chikara ga nai yastura urusai. {Those without power should shut up}" He didn't mind this one interrupting his drinking, at least it was keeping his mind off of.. off of... what was he forgetting again? Well at least this distraction was working.
Looking straight into Oni Lee's eyes he said. "My masters taught me that martial arts is for self improvement and self defense, and that taking the life of your opponent in a fight is the same as defeat." Brave to look into his eyes directly with no fear. He speaks with conviction. This one could be a leader. Unfortunately idealism dies with experience.
"Hee... omai wa? Dou omou? {Really... what bout you? What do you believe?)"
After finishing off his drink his conversation partner thought for a bit and replied. "I think that if it is possible to end a fight without death, that one should do so. However, if there is no other way to stop them from killing someone, then lethal force as a last result, while still a failure, means that you will have saved a life. And to me that is more important that some murderer." The man spoke with that conviction again, this time Oni Lee could feel some Satsui {Killing intent} from him. He has killed before for his beliefs. Good. He seems like a realistic logical ideologist. Not only that but he had power. Probably not Powers, but a more personal power, charisma, drive and the ability to see his desires through without compromising himself.
"Douna budo suru? {What kind of martial arts do you do?}" He had seen the way that this man had walked and knew he was trained, but he would have to be a Thinker to be able to tell what styles someone knew just by that.
"It's called Katsujinken. Also some Ninjutsu and Muay Thai, but Katsujinken is the main one." Then his conversation partner asked for his bill and paid for his sake. Oni Lee needed to do one more thing before this one left.
"Oohama Reiji." Oni Lee held out his hand.
"Tarou Yamada" The inspiring bishonen smiled and shook his hand. Oni Lee raised an eyebrow at the name and snorted. Then he handed the idealistic man a card "Buki ga histuyo nara, ore o yobei. {If you need a weapon call me.}" Perhaps... perhaps it was time to follow someone else's dreams. One who Oni Lee could look up to. Someone that he could aspire to be like. Perhaps it was time for this old shinobi to find a new master. But first he needed to heal up, and learn this 'Life Giving Fist' style.
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After leaving the bar and what was probably a, hopefully former, ABB hitman. Joe was glad that he got out of there without getting himself shot for running his mouth like that. But maybe he should be printing his own cards, the last several times he'd been out drinking he's gotten several phone numbers. Cecil's, Mel's, and now Reiji's. Well he probably didn't need some former ABB hitman to be his 'weapon', but maybe Reiji would like some other form of job now that the ABB was going down the drain? Something to think about.
EDIT: Added some {translations}.
(anyone remember in which chapter it was made?)
