Chapter 3 Silent shadows

Beatrix

As I watched him fight, I couldn't help but be fascinated by him. He moved gracefully as he fought with Shadow, who was flapping around like a fish out of water.

There was something about him that called to me, I couldn't quite explain the feeling. He had this aura that commanded respect from the people around him.

So after the fight, he was all I could think of as I followed Sensei Tanaka, my mentor, back to his office to help him with some documents he was taking care of.

As we got into his office, Sensei turned to face me with an amused expression on his face as he stared at me.

"What?" I asked

"I know that look, leave the poor boy alone, you have no business with a man who is here to learn," Sensei Tanaka said as he took his seat behind his desk.

"He must have a reason?" I asked

"He said he was being chased by some dangerous people, I didn't want to pry," Sensei Tanaka explained

"Wait! So why did you allow him to train here? What if the people after him come looking for him here?" I asked

"We both know that won't happen, that is why I allowed him in the first place. He proved himself, so he gets a slot to train with me," Sensei Tanaka said.

"Hmm, you confuse me sometimes," I said as I took a seat in front of him, taking out the documents he wanted me to help him with

An hour later.....

I had just finished the document I was working on and was ready to begin my daily training session. Sensei Tanaka was deep in meditation, so I quietly exited the room and headed to my usual training area. To my surprise, I found Ricardo using my training dummy.

"Hey!" I called out, but he ignored me, and that irritated me. So, to get his attention, I decided to throw one of the boxing gloves at his head, and it hit him perfectly.

He turned towards me, clearly annoyed, and asked, "Did you just throw this at me?"

"Yes," I replied firmly.

"May I ask why?" he inquired, turning his full attention to me, a raised brow on his face.

"Because you're on my spot," I retorted.

"I don't see a name written on any equipment here," he countered, a small grin forming on his face.

"My name doesn't have to be there. It should have been obvious that this place was taken since you didn't see anyone training here, " I explained, trying to assert my point. He simply shrugged in response.

Frustrated by his nonchalant attitude, I folded my arms and stood my ground. "Look, it's just common courtesy. You can't just barge in and take someone's spot without asking."

He seemed unfazed by my words and replied,

"Well, I didn't know it was your spot. No one told me."

I sighed, trying to maintain my composure because I was minutes away from blowing a fuse. "That's not an excuse. Sensei Tanaka assigns spots to each of us, and this has been mine for months because, as you noticed, I'm the only woman training here, and I need my privacy."

"Alright, my bad. I didn't realize. I'll find another spot." He said as he dropped the gloves he was using before going to pick up his bag to walk away, surprising me, I thought he was going to put up a fight or something.

"Are you just going to leave like that?" I inquired.

He looked at me with a puzzled expression and said, "Yes! Is there an issue?"

"No, it's just that I didn't anticipate you giving up the space so easily," I admitted.

"Well, since you claimed it as yours, why would I need to contest it?" he replied.

With a nod of understanding, I appreciated his considerate response. "Fair enough," I replied,

"Okay then, if we are done here, I'm going off to find where to train," he said, and as he was about to walk away, I called him back.

"Mister, you can use the other side, I don't mind. The others might not let you use their stuff because you're new and all," I said, wondering why I called him back.

"You sure?" He asked

"Yes It's okay, we can both use this part and maybe even help each other out," I said, and a frown formed on his face, "did I say something wrong?"

"No, I appreciate the offer, but I can't have any form of relationship with anyone. I don't keep friends," he stated as he moved to the opposite side of the room, casually dropping his bag in the corner.

"Isn't that lonely?" I inquired.

"No, I actually enjoy my company," he replied.

"Why?" I probed further.

"Have you ever been told that you talk too much?" he retorted.

"I've heard that once or twice. Some people even find me quite annoying," I confessed.

He raised an eyebrow, thinking about my response for a few seconds. Then, with a hint of amusement in his eyes, he said, "Well, I suppose we're quite the opposite, then, because I don't talk at all and I'm not as nosy as you"

"Hey, I'm not nosy," I yelled, drawing the attention of everyone in the room

"Why are you shouting over there, shank?" One of the guys said and I flipped him off then said, "Mind your fucking business asshole"

"Fuck you bitch" the guy yelled and the Ricardo turned to face the guy that had insulted me.

"Do we have a problem?" He asked in a menacing tone that even scared the hell out of me.

"N...no," the guy said, and I saw the fear in his eyes.

"Good, now go back to what you were doing before you interrupted our conversation."

"Yes, I apologize," the guy immediately did as he was told. The masked guy now turned to me, his expression immediately changing to an amused one.

"You're scary," I blurted out.

"So I've been told, but you don't need to fear me," he said, as he started punching the dummy in front of him.

"If that's true, why are you here, then?" I asked and an uncomfortable silence enveloped us