Titan Rumble Ch 2: A Shared Past, The Meaning Of The Departure!

(CAIN)

I threw another shirt into my suitcase, trying to ignore the growing pit in my stomach. This was stupid. I should be staying here, helping at the dojo, not being shipped off to live with titans. It was a risk, plain and simple. Omegas didn't belong in the world of Alphas. To them, we were nothing more than specs, and earning their respect was a gamble—one too many Betas had lost.

I let out a sigh and folded another shirt, slower this time, just to delay the inevitable.

"From the look on your face, you're clearly disappointed."

I jumped a bit at the voice. My dad stood in the doorway, arms crossed, his expression firm. He had that tone—the one that always made me feel like a scolded kid, no matter how old I got.

I didn't answer. What was the point? He knew how I felt. Instead, I just kept folding, hoping he'd drop it.

He didn't.

He walked over and started folding one of my shirts himself. "You've got nothing to worry about. The people you'll be living with are old family friends."

I glanced at him, confused. "Old family friends? Who?"

He crossed his arms, giving me that look like I should already know the answer. "Do you remember Takamura?"

Takamura? The name rang a bell, but I couldn't place it.

"You fought his younger daughter once," Dad added, his voice steady.

And then it clicked. I remembered standing in the studio, a young girl with short black hair, her face blurred in my memory. What stood out was the sunlight pouring in and the tears running down her cheeks.

"Yeah, I think I remember her," I muttered, still fuzzy on the details.

I tossed another shirt into the suitcase, and as I zipped it up, the question I'd been holding back slipped out. "Why am I going to live with them?"

Dad didn't answer right away. He turned toward the door, pausing just long enough to let the silence hang in the air. Without looking back, he said, "You'll be taking over his dojo."

I stopped mid-fold, staring at the back of his head. "Wait, what?"

"Better pack quicker," he added, already walking out of the room. "You'll need all your strength."

"Wait, you can't just—"

But the door was already closing behind him, leaving me with nothing but my packed bag and way too many questions.

***

(Yuna)

Sitting under the waterfall, I tried to focus, my legs crossed and my eyes shut. The cold water pounded against my back, but I barely felt it anymore—it had become part of the ritual. The steady rhythm of water hitting stone, the roar in my ears, it was supposed to clear my mind. But today, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake the burning frustration bubbling inside me.

Cain. My father had invited Cain to live with us. The same boy who had embarrassed me all those years ago, humiliated me in front of my own family. I could still hear the echoes of their laughter, the way his fist had connected just enough to knock me off balance during that sparring match. The look in his eyes—he hadn't even meant to beat me. It was like I wasn't even a challenge.

My fists tightened in my lap. The heat inside me flared, and I could feel my aura burning through the cold of the waterfall. The water around the rock I sat on began to bubble, steam rising as my energy seeped out uncontrollably.

I clenched my jaw, trying to steady my breathing again. In and out. Focus. Control. But every time I tried to calm myself, that stupid memory would flash in my mind, reminding me of how weak I'd been. How powerless.

Not anymore. I'd grown stronger since then, pushed myself harder than ever. Every day, I trained to erase that weakness, to prove to myself—and to everyone else—that I was a warrior. That no one, not even Cain, would ever get the better of me again.

Then, through the sound of the rushing waterfall, I heard him. My father. His footsteps were soft, but I could feel his presence even before I opened my eyes. The tall trees of the forest behind him whispered as he approached, like they always did. He stopped a few feet away, his voice deep and steady.

"It's time," he said.

My eyes snapped open. The words hit me like a jolt, every muscle in my body tensing. This was it. I leapt from the rock, landing with a solid thud in front of my father. The ground shook slightly beneath my feet as I straightened, water dripping from my soaked clothes.

I stood there, my fists clenched, facing him. His eyes were calm as always, but I could see the way he was watching me—reading me. He always knew what I was thinking before I even said a word.

But this time, I didn't care. All I could think about was Cain, and the chance that was coming. This was my moment. My chance to make him pay for that humiliation. To show him—and everyone else—just how far I'd come.

A wild smile crept across my face as I spoke, my voice low and filled with anticipation.

"Yes, it is."

This wasn't just a reunion. This was the beginning of my revenge.