Perhaps he had the willpower that many shounen manga protagonists have, or it was simply because of the usual “ground and pound” he received throughout the time living with Emiko, Kyoya was able to come to his senses shortly after. He could still hear the enemy`s footsteps around the corner. Opening his eyes, he observed the surroundings. This building was entirely fitted with unnecessary bright 120V lights. The electrical wirings weren`t built into the wall, they were only protected by plastic tubes. Kyoya came up with a plan.

Slowly, he stood up. He covered his right eye, and picked up the Wakizashi. Then he removed his sneakers and followed the boss` footsteps. Kyoya crouched, moving slowly on the tip of his feet to stay hidden. At the staircase, Kyoya saw the guy right above him. He carefully got down and crawled on all fours, biting the dagger in his mouth. The boss was hurrying towards somewhere, not realizing that the short boy was only meters behind.

Through one eye, Kyoya saw the boss walked inside a dark room. He turned the lights on before closing the door. From inside the room, he talked:

“How are you enjoying being high alone in the dark eh? I`m not good with dark places so sorry I couldn`t join.”

“Let me go!”

“Hey now, your little brother went here for you! Don`t make a fuss or his efforts would be in vain.”

With one eye closed shut, Kyoya rushed up to find this floor`s electric lines. Tracing exactly the wire leading to that room, he took a deep breath and cut it.

“What the fuck?!”

The boss swore, and fumbled in the dark for the switch. Obviously, it didn`t work. Instead, the door suddenly flew open and grinded on his toe.

“Argh!”

Almost that instant, Kyoya went for a kick to the crotch. The boss staggered backwards just in time, evading the attack. Back kicking the door close, Kyoya could see clearly in the dark with his right eye. His opponent was already on guard, but Kyoya lunged towards. The boss` cross grazed Kyoya`s cheek. He backed away and shifted into a side stance.

Hopping at his target with the pendulum step, Kyoya chambered his front leg and aimed for the knee. *Twack*. The stomp connected, and Kyoya backed away. Switching his front and back leg, Kyoya created an angle from the opponent`s center line before dashing in, with his core turned sideways. The back leg was left loose until his front leg touched the ground, then went flying at the enemy`s thigh. *Twack*. The Muay Thai roundhouse dented his flesh. With the recoil, Kyoya snapped his leg back to retreat again.

The storm of kicks to the boss` legs went on, and the thug couldn`t retaliate. His movements became sluggish, while Kyoya continued dancing around him.

“Mother fucker!”

Out of desperation, the thug screamed and went for Emiko. As soon as Kyoya saw it, he instantly shifted his balance forward and jump. The flying side kick crashed into the thug`s back and slammed him on the ground.

The door opened as light shone into the dark room. Outside stood Kenichi, scratched, but nothing more. Then, Kyoya noticed Emiko`s lack of clothing as well as the stinging red mark on her cheek. Glaring at the thug lying on the ground, his pupil widened.

“You trash!”

With the Wakizashi in hand, Kyoya fiercely pounced on the downed opponent. His eyes were that of a hungry predator. Kenichi reacted in time and held him back, slowly wrestling him down while Kyoya writhed to escape his sensei`s grasp…

Not long after, the police arrived. They cuffed all of the yakuza, and aslo any people that got involved into drugs. Law enforcements have been paying attention to this particular gang for a while, and the kidnapping attemp was solid evidence for the yakuza's arrest. Still, the police would have had a hard time securingthe hostage if it weren't for Kyoya. The boy was receiving treatment next to Emiko; the wound on his back has been bleeding badly from all the fighting.

“Nee…” a weak voice entered Kyoya`s ears.

He turned, and looked at the miserable girl lying on the stretcher. His long hair covered most of his face, hiding any expression he might have had.

“Why… Why did you… do this?”

He stayed silent

“Nee… don`t be quiet like that… Tell me, why?”

“You don`t need to thank me. Just please don`t get into any trouble… and stay away from me. People like Onee-sama should not fiddle with the likes of me”

“What are you saying?... Answer me! How can you just forgive me like that!? How!?...” She started to sob ”I never wanted to go out with these kind of trash... But if i stayed at home... I would go insane seeing her everyday... That woman… that woman I call Okaa-sama… Why the hell did dad brought her back?! Why is she here? How do I live with her after all she has done!? That house was hell to me, with that woman inside! When I was young she fed me nothing more than obligations, expectations and punishments! Then she abandoned me when I had failed… but now... when I succeed without her, she returned and asked for forgiveness… How can I ever…” The remaining words were swallowed by tears.

“My mother…” Kyoya opened his lips “Was raped at barely 12. Bastards ganged on her and got her pregnant. She stayed silent. Can you imagine what my mom was going through at that time?”

This time, Emiko was at a loss of words

“Not something pleasant. She hated men ever since, I know it. Yet, when my mom found out she was pregnant, she decided to keep the baby. It was a boy. That`s why I`m here right now.”

“That`s…”

“Our family was poor. Grandpa and grandma were always busy. When she entered highschool, my mother slacked. She became a prostitute. Shame but what you said about my mom was right. She didn`t treat me very nicely ever since, beating me up for the slightest of reasons. She failed college and continue being a prostitute, separating from her parent`s home and lived in a place worse than trash. With me. Every night she would bring men home to make money.”

Emiko`s eyes froze.

“One day, that bastard she came home with was some scumbag that tried to rape her when she was still in highschool, but got busted. He got in to take revenge on her.” Kyoya paused, took a deep breath and said “The fucker shoved his dick down my mom`s throat in front of my face.”

Emiko gasped. The small boy continued

“I saved my mother. Got badly injured. But I saved her. Like how I saved you. You know why? Because I know that she loves me"

“I`m… sorry” she finally let it out of her mouth.

“You don`t need to, Onee-sama. But I think you need to know this. Kenichi, my sensei over there told me: “No one is every truly happy. Everyone had been, is being, or will be hurt in some way. But that`s where the magic happen. To be happy, we all should help one another. Not take from others, not hurting others. If we all save eachother, wouldn't the overall happiness in the world increase? "

Emiko burst into tears. Having his wounds treated, Kyoya turned around, and walked into the sunrise. This time, the sun was rising.