Mafia's Revenge

Beatrix

As I walked into the martial arts center for my evening training session, I noticed a new face among the familiar ones.

He was standing near the entrance, dressed in the traditional white uniform. He wasn't here yesterday which means he just signed in.

Being the bad friendly bitch that I was, I approached him, my curiosity piqued by his appearance.

"Hey there, I'm Beatrix," I said, extending a hand in greeting. He hesitated for a moment, then shook my hand with a firm grip.

"Call me Ricardo," he replied in a deep, muffled voice. His gaze was intense and focused solely on me, so I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease and excitement around him. He seemed like the type of man parents would tell their daughters to stay away from.

"Nice to meet you, Ricardo," I said, trying to hide my eagerness so I wouldn't come off as desperate. "What brings you to our dojo?"

Ricardo's intense gaze never left mine as he answered, "I've heard this place is known for its skilled fighters. I want to improve my martial arts skills so that's why I'm here, Sensei Tanaka is an old friend of mine."

I nodded, but Ricardo made it impossible to gauge his expression because of the stoic face he had, so I couldn't quite tell what he was thinking, leaving me feeling frustrated by the unknown.

"What style are you interested in learning?" I asked, getting out of my thoughts as I continued to ask him questions

"Multiple styles," he replied cryptically. "I believe in versatility."

"Oh I see, well I'm mainly focused on mixed martial arts" I answered but as I was about to continue asking him questions Sensei Tanaka walked into the dojo and everyone went silent as a sign of respect.

Maybe I could get him to tell me more about himself after class. There was something about him that intrigued me and I wanted to know all his secrets.

"Welcome back everyone, today I would like to introduce our new student his name is Ricardo" Sensei Tanaka announced as Ricardo walked to the center of the ring to join Sensei Tanaka.

"As part of his welcome into the dojo, he will be fighting Shadow, one of our best fighters," Sensei Tanaka announced as Shadow walked out of the locker room and Ricardo's gaze immediately went to him.

"You want me to fight him?" Ricardo asked and I could hear the shock in his voice, wait was he lying when he said he could fight? Because if he was, Shadow was going to crush him.

"Yes, obviously. Is there anyone else in the ring?" Sensei Tanaka asked as he stared at Ricardo with an amused expression.

"Fuck! Wish me luck then, if I die know that it's your fault" Ricardo said as he joined Shadow on the mat, I watched Sensei Tanaka give him a thumbs up before proceeding to start the fight.

"I want a clean fight. You mustn't hurt your opponent badly, or you will lose the fight by default." Sensei Tanaka said as he signaled to the referee in charge to start the match.

"1,2,3 Fight!" The referee announced, and the fight began, they both started by circling around each other.

None of them wanted to attack first but then Shadow launched himself forward with his right arm ready to punch Ricardo in the face but Ricardo sidestepped Shadow and ducked under his arm making him trip forward slightly and judging from the look on Shadow's face, he wasn't happy at all, you could say he was pissed.

"Why are you running? Fight like a man, you freak. Shadow asked as he balanced himself on his feet, his angry gaze focused on Ricardo.

Seriously, he was resorting to using trash talk now. How pathetic? To me, Shadow wasn't the best fighter here. There were better fighters than him, so I wondered why Sensei gave him to Ricardo to fight

"Technically, that isn't an insult because I'm already a man?" Ricardo said with the biggest grin on his face as he stared back at Shadow, who looked like he wanted to rip Ricardo's head off

"That was weak Shadow, come on, take him down fast," one of Shadow's friends said as they cheered him on, but he turned to glare at them

"You all should shut the fuck up! I'm trying to think here" Shadow yelled as the room went silent, that you could hear a pin drop, why was he taking out his frustration on us? Maybe he already knows he has lost this match because Ricardo was obviously the better fighter.

"He is such a drama queen, no wonder he is losing to a newbie," one of the newest members said from the back and that was all it took to make Shadow lose his shit and attack Ricardo again.

If he kept on acting like a kid throwing a tantrum he was seriously going to lose this match, I thought to myself as I continued to watch the match.

He used the same move he used at the beginning of the match, but this time aimed for Ricardo's stomach but Ricardo was able to dodge his attack, and after Ricardo swiped Shadow's leg so that he would lose his balance and fall on his ass.

As the saying goes the bigger they are the harder they fall and Shadow was a really big guy. Enough of my ranting let's get back to the match, Ricardo got the timing perfectly and his attack did what it was supposed to, causing shadow to fall to the ground, flat on his ass and it was quite a sight to behold. To see a man of Shadow's size fall like a bag of potatoes.

"Is that all you've got, Shadow? Because I can do this all day" Ricardo said as Shadow got to his feet his anger evident in his eyes, judging from his expression he looked fucking pissed, so I hoped Ricardo was going to make it out of this fight alive because I still had a lot of questions for him.

Beatrice

As Shadow got to his feet, his murderous gaze was focused on Ricardo as he said, "Enough games, I'm going to fucking kill you freak" With that said, he launched at Ricardo again with the same technique.

Seriously, doesn't he have another move or something? Is punching people the only attack he knows how to do? I thought to myself as I watched Ricardo narrowly dodge his attack, causing Shadow to trip again.

From where I was standing, he looked like he was lost in thought, which made me wonder what was going through that head of his. But with that aside, if he doesn't get his act together, Shadow will make due to his threat and actually kill him.

As Shadow struggled to regain his balance, Ricardo used the opportunity while Shadow was distracted, lunging forward and delivering a swift elbow jab to Shadow's ribs.

Shadow let out a pained growl as he stumbled backward. As he held on to the place Ricardo had just hit, Shadow lay there, panting heavily as if he had been robbed of his breath.

"Had enough yet, Shadow?" Ricardo taunted with a huge grin on his face as Shadow glared at him. Even after that last attack, Shadow still got up, although he looked like he was about to pass out.

After he had managed to catch his breath, Shadow said, "Not even close. Let's do this."

Then, consumed by anger, he lunged at Ricardo again, which he dodged effortlessly, and then he punched Shadow in the same area he hit the last time knocking the air out of him for the second time today.

"That must have really hurt, " I said as Ricardo immediately turned to me, he looked deadly as hell, which made my heart skip a beat.

Yes! I won't lie he is quite handsome, but men like him would only break your heart, but that won't stop me from being curious about him

"I can do this all day Shadow so get the fuck up or are you going to forfeit the match?" Ricardo asked as Shadow got to his feet wiping the sweat off his forehead as he glared at Ricardo.

If only Shadow had realized earlier that Ricardo was intentionally taunting him to distract him, he wouldn't have fallen for it so easily.

From Ricardo's viewpoint, the fight was amusing to watch, but it must have been quite sad for Shadow, as his performance was horrible.

"There is nowhere in hell I'm going to lose a freak like you," Shadow said as he spat at Ricardo's feet, his anger evident in his eyes and tone.

Getting angry won't lead him anywhere; he should instead remain calm and think. Having a level-headed mindset in a fight is the best approach for a fighter.

"I might be a freak like you said but at least I can take you down in a fight and you have spent more time here than me, isn't that pathetic, Shadow?" Ricardo mocked Shadow which enraged him further as he lunged for Ricardo again but this time he was faster than before.

Yes! He was finally getting his head in this game, and maybe the fight might actually go in his favor.

Ricardo tried to dodge this attack but Shadow was too fast so he was able to land a right hook in the center of Ricardo's chest. And judging from his expression it must have hurt like hell.

"I need to get this match over with before I pass out?" I heard Ricardo say as he rubbed on the area Shadow had just hit, when a few seconds had passed he got to his fighting position and as Shadow wanted to attack him, he managed to elbow Shadow in the face, which might have probably broken his nose because he started bleeding a few seconds later after Ricardo had punched him in the face.

"You broke my freaking nose you son of a bitch" Shadow cried as he held on to his bleeding nose whining like a kid who just got his favorite toy taken away from him

"Stop whining" Ricardo snapped as he continued to rub the part of his chest that shadow had punched. "Come on give me your best shot" Ricardo taunted as he wiped his blood-stained hands on his shirt as Shadow got ready to attack Ricardo for the last time.

As they were about to attack each other, Sensei Tanaka stopped the fight, "that's enough, the fight is over" he said as he turned to face Shadow who was glaring at Ricardo.

"What was that for Sensei? I was about to win," Shadow whined as an amused grin formed on Sensei Tanaka's face.

"You were never going to win the fight, you underestimated your opponent and lost to him, if this was a real fight you would be dead" Sensei Tanaka announced and to say I wasn't shocked by what he said I would be lying.

Sensei Tanaka never directly compliments anyone so Ricardo should be very glad about this occurrence.

"Thanks for the chance to prove myself and show the rest that I earned my place here," Ricardo said

"Everyone here has gone through different phases "Sensei Tanaka explained

"Thank you, Sensei Tanaka," Ricardo expressed his gratitude as they shook hands firmly.

"Welcome to my dojo, and I hope you'll achieve great things here," Sensei Tanaka said with a warm smile as he released Ricardo's hand.

"I will strive to achieve my aim," Ricardo vowed, meeting Sensei Tanaka's gaze. "You won't regret picking me."

"Okay then I will be taking my leave if you want to see me, you know where to find me," Sensei Tanaka said as everyone bowed as he walked across the mat to his office but stopped in front of me, "Bea I need you to sort some documents for me, are you free by chance?"

Even though I had plans after the match to keep asking Ricardo questions, Sensei Tanaka needed me, and who was I to say no after he provided me with food, shelter, and clothing?

"Yes, Sensei," I answered, and as we both left for his office. On the verge of stepping in, I saw that Ricardo was staring right at me. What was he thinking? I thought to myself as I closed the door behind me

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