Chapter 4: Unexpected
"You're awake!" Karura yelled as she entered the medical room with Erioh. Rin looked at her then at Erioh before he finished putting his clothes back on.
"Should really knock first." Rin said as the two walked up to him, "I'm just glad I wasn't naked when I woke up."
"I can't believe you managed to beat Raian!" Karura said happily and Erioh put a hand on her shoulder.
"Could you give us a moment please?" Erioh asked her and she walked out of the room. The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments before Erioh sighed.
"I underestimated you Rin." Erioh told him and Rin waved it off, "You've earned my respect and I'll give you my blessing."
"A lot of people underestimate me and Ohma and like I told Karura, I'm not jumping straight into marriage with somebody I just met." Rin told him calmly and Erioh nodded in agreement.
"That's certainly unwise. It doesn't help that we tried to kill you because of that." Erioh told him with a defeated sigh. Rin waved him off again and Erioh made his way out of the room. To Rin's surprise it wasn't just Karura who came in but Raian as well. Karura was quiet as the two men stared at each other.
"You one hell of a guy! That was the most fun I've had in my entire life!" Raian told him with a wicked smile, "Next time you won't get off so lucky!"
"Lucky?!" Rin asked him with an equally wicked smirk, "I'm pretty sure that was skill!"
"Enough you two!" Karura yelled as the two almost got into another fight. Raian scoffed and turned to the door, "Raian is the reason you got my Grandfather's blessing Rin."
"Really?" Rin asked him with a confused tone. Raian looked over his shoulder and smiled.
"Anyone who can go toe to toe with me like that deserves it!" Raian said and he left the two alone in the room. They stared at each other before Rin broke the silence by clearing his throat.
"Wanna go to the restaurant from the other day?" Rin asked her while rubbing the back of his head.
"Sure!" Karura said and followed him out of the room.
~The Next Day~
"Why couldn't you just call me?" Rin asked Erioh as he was escorted into the room by two Kure men.
"I'm a fan of the old ways." Erioh told him with a small grin, "I do agree that calling you would have been quicker. Have you seen your next opponent?"
"Yeah it's Kuroki Gensai right?" Rin asked as Erioh sat in the chair across from him. Erioh shook his head causing Rin to become confused.
"Your opponent has been changed to Ohma Tokita." Erioh told him calmly and Rin got a big smile. Rin had been waiting patiently for his chance to fight Ohma and now it was handed to him. Rin looked up when a Kure woman walked over to them with a tea set.
"Also why are they being so respectful to me?" Rin asked as the Kure woman set a cup of tea in front of him, "I can understand you but the last time I was here they were dead set on killing me."
"I knew Karura didn't tell you the full truth." Erioh sighed before taking a sip from his cup, "As long as you're with Karura you'll be my successor."
"W-what?" Rin asked nearly dropping his cup, "She was so focused on marriage that something important slipped her mind?! I'll wouldn't mind marrying her in the future but I wish she'd take things a bit more seriously!"
"The Association has pretty much begged to see you and Ohma fight. They want to see two masters of the Niko Style fight." Erioh explained, not wanting to talk about Karura's marriage, "I'm going to teach you a few things that I'm not sure your body can handle. I believe your resilient enough for it but one can never be positive."
"If you say so 'Grandfather'." Rin said teasing the old man and unknowingly making his life harder.
~The Next Night~
"I can't wait to try what you showed me out!" Rin said as he got off of his back, "I have to admit that you're way stronger than I thought."
"I am the head of the Kure family." Erioh said with a chuckle, "You have a tendency of going beyond my expectations young man."
"I'm ready to fight Ohma that's for sure!" Rin said as he punched his palm. He could already imagine Ohma's surprise when he uses his new technique.
"I figured you'd be more upset about fighting the man you consider your brother." Erioh said with a surprised tone.
"You misunderstand me and Ohma." Rin explained with a big smile, "We can't wait to get a hold of each other."
"You two sound just like Raian." Erioh sighed before walking towards the door and motioning for Rin to follow him.
"Where are we going?" Rin asked but was greeted with silence. Erioh led him to a side room and Rin's eyes widened as he saw two Kure women holding out two different suits for him.
"You have important business tonight and you need to be dressed for it." Erioh said as he pulled Rin back into the room. Rin hated suits and now he was being forced to wear one.
"What do you mean I have important business and why do I have to wear something so uncomfortable?" Rin asked after he was dressed. Erioh didn't respond and Rin followed him to another side room and saw Karura sitting at a table in a fancy dress. He gave Erioh a side glance and he could hear the old man chuckle under his breath. He pushed Rin towards the table and walked out of the room.
"This is unexpected to say the least." Rin said as he sat in the chair across from Karura.
"My Grandpa told me to get in a dress and wait in here. I definitely wasn't expecting this either." Karura admitted as a Kure woman came in with two plates of food. Rin sighed and decided just to enjoy the night since tomorrow he would be fighting Ohma.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone