AN: Time for Ken to take the spotlight and show us what he can do with it.

Kenshi and I would like to thank JDUBZ for being the Beta Reader and providing extremely awesome suggestions to make Ken's chapter better.

Chapter 12: Kenshi Koori

Born into a poor family, Kenshi Koori was never expected to amount to anything. Skinny and frail, no ever paid much attention to him other than to comment on ill he looked. These comments always came from people who didn't know him because everyone who DID know him knew that he always looked like that.

Both of Ken's parents were laborers and neither thought they could do much to better themselves.

His mother, Tanya Koori, was a strict woman who didn't believe in having children. Tanya felt that kids were sinful little monsters who only took and never gave.

In Tanya's eyes, Kenshi was an accident never meant to happen, a mistake.

On the other hand, Ken's father, Tokoro Koori, was a kind man. It was bizarre to see such a welcoming man, with the abrasive Tanya.

During her time being pregnant Tanya refused to show herself in public, ashamed of her belly and the life that was growing inside.

When Ken was born she didn't want to look at him or hold him, everything about her baby disgusted her.

However, Tokoro was ecstatic when Ken was born, he felt nothing could make him happier in life than to have his own baby boy. For the first few weeks of having his own son Tokoro treated Ken like a king, for he felt he would become one some day.

Tanya would tell Tokoro to give up on those delusions, nothing they did would ever get them rich. She felt they were going to be poor forever and having a baby was just a waste of money.

Within a year Tanya had had enough of Tokoro's "foolishness" and left him with Ken. Heartbroken, Tokoro was left with an empty part of his life that he held dear.

While his wife was strict and mean she was the person he relied on most to help him with any kind of problem. Her smart nature and beautiful looks was something he would miss forever. After a long period of time Tokoro started to blame Ken for Tanya wanting to leave him.

As years went by Ken grew up to look like his father, but act like his mother. Ken wouldn't talk to the other children and mostly kept to himself. Being an introvert, Ken had no friends who wanted to play with him.

It was around this time that the economy started to fall, putting Tokoro into debt. Tokoro developed a drinking habit and drank beer every night for the rest of his life. With no one else to vent to, Tokoro would take his anger out on Ken. Being only 8 years old, Ken wasn't able to fend for himself and took the lashings his father put onto him.

Abused and poor, Ken became the laughingstock at school. Another source of amusement for the other children was his pointed chin, which everyone made fun of because of its bizarre shape. Everyday Ken would go to school and be tormented by his fellow classmates until a teacher would rescue him from the little devils that wanted to hurt him more.

Since Ken had no friends, he had no one to help defend him at recess when the teachers weren't around. With nowhere to turn, Ken would resort to cowering in a corner hoping the other kids didn't notice him.

Like some kids, they often discover their mana gifted powers during their early childhood. At least that was when Ken discovered his ice wielding ability. A gentle magic that if used wisely, can gift the world with beautify or if used differently can be a powerful weapon.

Ken wanted to show off his newly discovered ability to his classmates, in hopes of impressing them.

At first, the kids were amazed at all the amazing things Ken could do. He made it snow, he made snowballs, and even constructed an ice sculpture of their teacher. All the kids were in complete awe, Ken finally felt like he had friends.

"Big whoop!" The one kid who bullied Ken the most, spoke up.

The kid was taller and much more fit. Ken saw him as a threat and immediately retreated.

"I'll show you guys something cool." The kid smirked at Ken while addressing the crowd. Turning around, the kid extended his hands until flames erupted from them. The intense heat melted the beautiful ice sculpture within seconds.

Ken watched as all his hard work was destroyed in the blink of an eye. Anger began to consume him.o

"James! You know better than to use magic on school grounds!" A teacher, whom the sculpture was based off of, came outside. She approached James and saw Ken, with a look of anger on his face.

"Kenshi?" The teacher looked down and gasped. Ken's palm was facing the ground and hovering in it was a sharp icicle.

Ken realized his mistake and quickly released the crystal, letting it fall to the floor.

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At the end of the school day, Ken sat in the time-out chair outside the classroom as his teacher discussed what happened earlier with his father. Ken was sure his father was angry.

That night Ken was lashed on harder than usual. When it finally ended Ken went to bed crying his eyes out. Another day survived.

Ken wished his old father would come back and save him. He hoped that one day he would wake up and find his dad at the foot of the bed. His father would apologize to him and love him. Sadly, that day never came.

Ken's life returned to normal, or as normal as it has been the past few years; School, abuse, home, abuse, repeat. The only break in the cycle would be if Tokoro was passed out drunk by the time Ken returned home from school.

The day Ken turned 9 was no different than any other day. 4 years ago, on his birthday, Ken and Tokoro went out to the pond, and fed the ducks. Ken chased them around the pond, and Tokoro laid back in the grass, watching his son have fun. Nowadays such celebrations were only past dreams. Memories that Ken was now doubting if they ever existed.

The abuse Ken suffered forced him to mature quickly, and robbed him of a childhood. This young boy had been shown the harsh realities of the world and was crushed underneath them at the young age of 6. Ken began to realize that no one loved him; his father hated him, his mother never wanted him, his classmates ridiculed him, his teachers feared him, and even HE hated himself.

However, Ken didn't give up. He knew that someday he would escape his father, graduate school, and make a name for himself.

Ken began to study in how to create business and property management. Ken used the intellect he inherited from his mother to study these topics at a pace that was far above his own age.

Ken ever so slowly began to understand the importance of stocks, supply and demand, and investments. All these things were meant for people twice his age to learn, but Ken was determined to leave his father as soon as he turned 18 and start his own company. With the vast understanding he would have by then Ken believed he would start his own business and travel the world all on his own. It was a dream he most wanted to come true.

Tokoro, one night, stumbled upon one of his son's business starting books. In his drunken state he thought of what he assumed was a great plan.

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Within just a few weeks The Transporting Taproom was born. A dragon carriage filled with barrels of beer inside and attached on the outside. Tokoro had used all the money he had to purchase all these beers and wines. Yet no one would come because Tokoro had no way of keeping the beer cool. In the end the drunk Tokoro ended up scrapping the idea altogether. He was planning on selling the carriage and the dragon for cash when he noticed his son twirling a snowflake in between his fingers. Tokoro smiled an evil grin, he had an idea.

For 8 more years Ken sat in the carriage every night keeping the beer cold. A single wave of his hands was all he needed to do once every 15 minutes. To make it worse, Tokoro never let Ken out of the carriage, insisting he stayed in there. But as Ken grew older and somewhat stronger Tokoro grew more weak and ill.

Ken had no remorse for his father when he died of a terminal illness. Ken had been 17 then, still young and ready to take on the world. But the world wasn't ready to let him in yet. No one would hire Ken into any business position he proposed. His knowledge of government and business had fallen during his time keeping the beer cold. Plus, they all claimed he was too young to be accepted.

With only a few figures of cash to his name, Ken had no idea what to do. For a month Ken looked for work in places he thought he could fit in; a bank, a post office, and even the DDV (Department of Dragon Vehicles). Nobody would take him.

Ken finally decided that his only option was The Transporting Taproom. During the time Tokoro had been alive the Taproom had held its own and maintained a steady flow of customers. With Ken's real knowledge on business plans he decided he could make it work. However, he refused to work with anything his father did.

Ken tore down the name his father had created and made The Portable Pub, a mobile drinking vehicle just like his father's. However, The Portable Pub was a carriage with more space so he could keep all the beer inside. There was no wall in the back of the carriage, instead, double doors were installed for easy access to the carriage's contents. The only problem Ken had to deal with now was his age.

According to law, all bartenders who serve alcohol had to be 21 or above. Standing at 6 feet tall, Ken easily passed as to looking older, his serious face and pointed chin gave him an older look. Just in case, so he didn't get in trouble with the law, Ken wore a white, long-sleeve button down shirt and black slacks to give him a more professional appearance. Luckily, he got away with it for 4 years until he was legally able to register the pub as an official place to buy beer.

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Ken had just finished serving a young couple their drinks. Giggling together, they walked off with their drinks in hand. For 15 years Ken maintained the pub with no serious problems. Every night he took the Portable Pub to the same spot, where people would come, drink, and just have some fun. Everyday he wore his white shirt and slacks, something that stuck with him ever since he started the pub. It was popular among those who wanted a good beer for cheap.

Ken was able to keep it cheap because the pub didn't even cost much to handle. Ken's magic cut the cost for Ice Crystals to keep the beer cold, he didn't have to pay for property since his bar was located in a carriage, and he only worked alone so he got to keep all the profit. So Ken saw no need the charge a higher price for beer and instead kept it low.

While Ken was cleaning up he heard a large man starting to cause a ruckus nearby.

"Hey! Quit it with the party trick! You've spilled enough beer on me tonight!"

Oki. It was almost a year ago when Ken noticed that Oki had become an almost regular customer. Oki was nice and had a lot in common with him. Overall, Ken really enjoyed Oki's company. Even though Oki could be loud and obnoxious, he still liked his friendly nature. Ken also noticed that Oki was like him too when it came to people, Oki didn't really like to talk to others unless he got to know them better. Everything Ken saw in Oki he saw in himself.

It was a year ago when Ken finally found his first friend.

AN: Also if you've noticed I have updated one of the genres of the story to 'Hurt/Comfort.' I had an idea to do this before, but wasn't sure if I wanted to replace the fantasy one. Guest Mr. Lazy-to-log-in unknowingly confirmed my idea and now my story is both Drama and Hurt/Comfort. It sucks that I can't add more though.

See all ya'll in the next chapter! :P