A Field Somewhere, Dawn
K sat cross-legged on the grass, eyes closed and letting out even moderate breaths, meditating. The flowing creek and the nature around him giving out a relaxing vibe. Just a couple of steps away from the cottage was a wide open field, no doubt for Fluttershy to allow her animal friends to frolic in peace. It was a nice spot he noted, not quite as big as the ones he had seen, but it was big enough for what he had planned. The fact that it was somehow at least close to civilization was an added bonus. Makes it much more easier to keep an eye on THEM when they show up. He stopped his inner musings and opened his eyes, regarding his small companion beside him. Snowball sat there, eyes closed just as his was, a carrot hanging limply from his lips like some kind of make-shift cigar.
"So, did you need something... Angel?"
The way Angel's eyebrow twitched at how K had said his name probably grated his nerves by a huge margin, but merely settled his expression to one of apathy. Though it was an expression that looked odd to see on a rabbit, Angel somehow pulled it off, looking pretty menacing in the process.
"You looked like shit Keep, in fact you still do." Angel bluntly stated. Such crude language from a creature so adorable. "And it's either you were doin' somethin' stupid and got your ass kicked, or you got your ass kicked period."
"Still blunt as ever I see."
"Only callin' it as I see it."
It was slightly true to be honest. What with his entire torso being wrapped in bandages, courtesy of Fluttershy.
For a while silence reigned between the two as they stared out at the open field, the sun now now just rising above the horizon. A gentle breeze passed by them, floating several leaves in its wake.
*POOF*
A sudden burst of smoke suddenly enveloped the two, obscuring both of their vision.
*CLANG*
Inside the smoke, K instinctively blocked the quickly descending katana with his dagger, albeit barely. The speed in which the katana had swung at him probably had enough force to cleave him neatly in half. K gritted his teeth in pain, his injuries not fully healed yet, and pushed the katana away forcefully, jumping out of the smoke, his opponent doing the same. When K looked across him, the smoke slowly dissipating with the wind, he was no longer staring at Angel, Fluttershy's little cute adorable bunny who reached only up to his ankle. No.
He was now looking at Snowball, trained assassin, master of the arts, and weapons expert. Who now reached just above his knees, clad in a simple blue long-sleeved shirt and olive green cargo pants.
"What the hell, Snowball!?"
Said trained killer didn't say anything in response, only twirling the katana in his hands gracefully and charged at him at breakneck speed, almost blurring out of existence. Snowball phased in and out of existence, appearing around him several times in a seemingly random manner.
K looked around him, trying to see if there was a pattern in between the jumps, but it was extremely difficult. And the fact that when Snowball jumped in and out of view, he did it so fast that it looked like he had cloned himself.
As K's eyes tried to follow Snowball's movements, he could feel himself getting slightly dizzy, a migraine working its way to his head. Realization hit him in the head like a speeding basketball.
"So that's your goal, eh? K narrowed his eyes, before fully shutting them. "Trying to disorient me before going for the final blow. Good plan, but..."
He spun around, throwing the dagger directly behind him, just as Snowball phased in. The projectile hit its mark home, plunging deep into the chest of the wide-eyed Snowball. For a moment, nothing happened as the bunny slowly descended.
*POOF*
Blinking rapidly in confusion, K stared dumbfounded at the bunny scarecrow with his dagger embedded into it. He blinked even more when he felt the familiar feeling of a blade tapping his chest.
Looking down, K could barely see the tip of the katana placed right under his jaw, set to plunge straight up to his skull. He could also see the rabbit in question, facing him with the arm that held the katana raised up high. Snowball looked up at K, who was still looking down at him dubiously.
"Not bad with anticipating my movement. Didn't actually think you would hit me though, to be honest," Snowball lowered his katana, placing it on his shoulder, and walked away from K, who had finally regained his bearings and was following slowly. "Although let me tell you something."
Snowball suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, causing K to do the same. K was thinking that Snowball was gonna make some kind of dramatic speech, so he was more than surprised when he was met with a powerful kick to his stomach. His mouth opened in a silent scream of pain before he was launched backwards at an alarming rate.
As K skidded and bounced off the ground, Snowball materialized in front of him delivering a relentless combo of punches and kicks to his chest, before launching K off once again with a dropkick.
They finally reached the edge of the clearing, with K's momentum being halted painfully by a tree, the bark where he hit bursting into splinters. K couldn't even let out a groan of pain, before he felt a strong fist embed itself in his stomach, preventing him from sliding down to earth. Behind him, he could feel more splinters digging into his back, the tree shattering even more when the punch connected.
K felt the fist holding him up leave him, allowing gravity to do its job, as he fell back onto the ground. Snowball materialized again in front of K, looking down at him, slightly guilty for what he had done but knew it was necessary to get the point he was going to make across. Embedding his katana onto the ground, he crossed his arms.
"If you didn't understand, then it was Sifu Flint's language for 'You let your skills slack and now I can kick your ass a lot easier than before', get it?" Snowball moved to sit beside K, who still laid there, like a puppet who had its strings cut. "I should know, he did it to me every time I took a break. Pretty damn brutal, I know. But I guess it was his way of showing that he didn't want me dead yet. Dad I never had, you know?"
"..."
"So... wanna train?"
K just laid there unmoving for a minute, before his hand slowly reached into his shirt, letting out the H.O.T pendant that glowed a bright red. It's light pulsed for several moments before it receded, signifying that it had done all it could. Standing up as if he wasn't just brutally beaten, he looked at Snowball and shrugged.
"Why not?"
Hours Later
Fluttershy's Cottage, Morning
"Gah! Son of a- OW!"
"No bad language inside the cottage, please."
K rubbed the back of his head, where Fluttershy had thumped him, as she continued to tend to his injuries for the second time, though at the very least this one was less life threatening. Angel sat across them atop his pile of pillows with his eyes closed in thought, also having his own share of wrapped injuries, although not as much as K's. The both of them had finished their impromptu spar, with Angel of course being the victor. It seemed that even though K's battle instincts had waned with time, K still had more than enough to get a few hits here and there.
"There you go Mr. Keeper, all done," Fluttershy bit off the excess bandages and tightly secured the bandages on K's bare chest. "Though I wish you and Angel didn't spar while you were injured."
"Relax Flutters," Angel said nonchalantly to Fluttershy. "It's not like he got crippled or something and besides, he needed the warm-up so its cool- OW! WHY!?"
Angel cradled the back of his head in pain, his teeth clenched to prevent himself from screaming out loud. His injuries were still fresh after all.
"That's no excuse to go about fighting all of a suuden," She lowered her hoof after thumping Angel in the back of the head as well. "What if something worse happened during your little spar? Would you have said that 'It was no big deal'? That it was an accident?"
Both K and Angel rubbed their heads in pain and cringed at the stern voice of the normally timid pegasus, but both said nothing in return. Funny how they could be so nonchalant earlier about brutal fights but not have the courage to say anything in response to a mother figure who was scolding them.
Figuring that they didn't have anything to say in return, she nodded her head resolutely and turned away from them, not seeing the both of them glare at each other in accusation. The way they interacted with one another, one would think that they were related. Quite surprising considering that they just technically met each other this morning.
K's nose twitched when he smelled something positively divine, the only thought running through his mind was 'what was it?' His question was answered when a plate, filled with foodstuffs, was offered up to him. He took it in his hands and kept his surprised hidden when he saw meat, of all things, among the breakfast he was given. Thinking about it though, he knew he shouldn't have been with Fluttershy dealing with all kinds of animals, carnivorous ones being among them, but still.
"I hope it's okay for you." Fluttershy said with uncertainty, a sudden turnabout from her earlier demeanor. "I don't really know what you can eat or not but if your teeth are anything to go by, I would assume that your an omnivorous creature, right?"
K just nodded in response, smiling as he happily ate the breakfast he was served. That seemed to please Fluttershy as she gave him a relieved smile and went outside to do her job as the resident animal caretaker.
"If there's anything you need, just shout ok?"
K though just got up from his seated position, placed the now empty and gave a low bow at the waist to Fluttershy, who blinked in shock at the action. Panicking slightly, she quickly responded with a bow of her own, almost flinging herself forward as she did so. Hearing K chuckle lightly caused Fluttershy to redden slightly in embarrassment and hide behind her mane.
"Sorry, sorry, I wasn't laughing at you," K said with a grin that held no ill. "Just that, that was the first time someone responded like that, is all. Most of ponies I've met just looked at me weird when I did it to them."
"Well, um, I'm a little bit familiar with Neighponese traditions," Fluttershy informed bashfully, walking towards the door. "My father was the travelling type and he wanted to see the world, so he brought me along with him. Neighpon was actually the place where we stayed the longest so...
"Really? No kidding, huh." K mused thoughtfully at this new information, following after Fluttershy. He might as well have followed, considering that Angel had fallen into deep sleep right after finishing the carrot he was given. "So where is he now? Your dad, I mean."
"Oh, he's working as an animal tamer and trainer for the princesses in Canterlot Castle."
K's body went rigid, though Fluttershy could not see him as he was behind her. That was a really big coincidence, cause there was only one tamer that he knew of and it was...
"Say Fluttershy," Fluttershy turned her head towards him. "Your father wouldn't happen to go by the name... Karroch, would he?" Behind him, he had his fingers crossed and a mantra that repeated in his head. 'Please say no. Please say no. Please say no'
"Oh, yes," She cheerfully said in affirmation. "Did you two know each other?"
"Sigh, yea," K rubbed his head in irritation. Karma just had a way of saying 'fuck you to' didn't it?
So here he was, talking and having a nice conversation with Fluttershy, daughter of Karroch the Beastmaster. Conveniently one of THEM, that he was supposed to keep an eye out. What is this THEM he keeps talking about? Well simply put...
Reincarnations.