Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Seasons of Sorrow ❯ Embers of Summer's Glory = Awakened Neko ( Chapter 53 )

DISCLAIMER: Welcome to another installment of pure fanfiction that is totally based off of Fruits Baskets characters, Takaya-sensei's wonderful creations.

 

 

Embers of Summer's Glory

Chapter 53: Awakened Neko

 

 

It was simply done. One block, then another, and followed by yet another. Then a thrust here…there… The mind is clear…the strike done instantaneously…no hesitation in its execution. Simple steps to follow…

 

`Then why the HELL ain't I gettin' it right?!' Irritated that he can't seem to mimic his more experienced companion, Kyo was ready to throw the heavy wooden bamboo stick right through the window. “This ISN'T working…”

 

“Kyo, it takes years to master this technique. And even the masters of the art continue improving their art form. You can't expect to perform well on the first day you're shown how to.” Kazuma gave his scowling son a wide grin from his seat at the edge of the ring. Turning to Tohru, he whispered, “Perhaps it wasn't wise to accept Haji-ojiisan's invitation today…Kyo looks like he's about to bust an artery. Or rip the shinai to pieces with his glares.”

 

“I heard that!” griped Kyo as he stiffened his stance and held the bamboo practice sword rigidly.

 

“Shut your trap, punk, and PAY ATTENTION!” yelled Master Haji into the Neko's ear, Kyo wincing from the loud decibels. Thrusting his cane towards Kyo's sparring partner, he gave him the go-ahead to come onto Kyo. “Tetsuya-kun, no mercy!”

 

“HEY, DON'T TELL THAT TO HIM!” yelped Kyo as he suddenly brought up his shinai to prevent being hit in the face again. It was his idea after all to do this without any protection to his body or head. “Tetsuya…ease up, man!”

 

“Kyo, your weakness in your martial arts shows through here as well…you leave yourself open to attack. You need to concentrate on not dropping your guard, no matter how talented you are to counter any attacks.” Several katas later, Tetsuya backed away, slightly panting from the exertion of this all-day exercise. “It's why we're here practicing in kendo, Kyo…I only want you to improve.”

 

“Honestly, man, I just came to see you do some serious stuff with the real thing, you know. I don't get to see you do that iaido stuff too often.” Resuming his stance, Kyo wildly swung his bamboo sword out to Tetsuya, which he blocked easily and effortlessly as the experienced kendo student he was trained to be.

 

Smiling, Tetsuya shook his head in mild amusement. “I'm not near as good at iai-jutsu as Master Haji. You should ask him to show you the `serious stuff'…his iai-jutsu is far superior to many in Japan. Did you know he was given another honorary degree…Kyoshi level it was. It was given quite the publicity last year.”

 

“Now, now, Tetsuya-kun, no need to brag my credentials to the half-twit,” remarked Master Haji `modestly'. Without looking, he knocked back Kyo's shinai with his cane, the shinai snapping back to Kyo's face. Curses mumbled and ignored, the elderly sensei turned to Tohru and slyly grinned. “I certainly have quite a fan-base with the young ladies of the industry—”

 

“Damn, shut it, Oyaji!” lashed out Kyo as he tenderly touched his reddened nose before returning his attention to his partner. “Putting the old pervert aside, you're doing fine on your own with the iaido, right? You got to 9th dan already, right?”

 

“I'm still officially at the 8th dan level. But it's a process I'm in the middle of right now. The nomination went through the organization this past spring, so hopefully I'll be able to take the exam in the fall.” Tetsuya was determined to not miss the exam this time around. He had to decline taking the exam during these past few months due to his training for the tournament…not that he minded, though. He was always willing to help Kazuma whenever the need was there…goodness knows the martial arts teacher did see him through some tough times as a teen under a strict father's rearing. He vented many a stressful day in Kazuma's dojo…

 

`And since I graduated from private tutors to formal university studies, learning iai-justsu with Master Haji had helped immensely with the mental discipline. It was the best choice I've ever made.' Mentally shaking away the distracting thoughts, he insisted, “But, honestly, Master Haji really is very good…he is my teacher. He's learned all official twelve forms to the fullest extent. I highly recommend training of this sort in supplementation to your martial arts training.”

 

“Iaido…iai-justu…? I'm sorry…I don't understand the differences you're discussing, Tetsuya-san,” remarked Tohru as she looked to Kazuma with the same question in her eyes.

 

“Iaido and iai-jutsu is one in the same…just different terminology. What you see here with the shinai is ken-jutsu, Tohru-san.” Giving her a shinai from one of the racks on the walls, Kazuma further explained, “Ken-jutsu already has your shinai out in the open ready for combat, while in iai-jutsu the sword is still in its saya…its scabbard.”

 

“O-ho! I think a better way to explain it is to show it to you!” Master Haji quickly signaled to Tetsuya to desist with the kendo as he made his way to the storage cabinet at the end of the room. It paid to have rented extra rooms at the exhibition hall…he did end up using the extra space for practicing his iaido after all.

 

Formally concluding the session with Kyo, Tetsuya returned their shinai to the racks against the far wall. Straightening out his gi and hakama as he walked, he went to help Master Haji and was pleasantly surprised to see the elder Sohma's choice for this impromptu demonstration. Nodding in agreement, he took the two bokken from Master Haji and walked back to their audience.

 

“Cool! Now that's what I'm talking about! Let's practice with those instead, Tetsuya!” excitedly remarked Kyo as he stared with a gleam in his eye at the two wooden practice swords.

 

“Pft, what an amateur,” grumbled Master Haji as he passed by the enthralled youth, holding a set of swords that he set on another set of racks nearby. The new addition sent the Neko into overdrive.

 

“Forget the wood! Let's just go with the katanas! They're way better to use!” loudly called out Kyo as he went over and leaned down to closely inspect the metal swords, earning him another sound `whack' on the head by an unforgivable cane.

 

“Heh, it seems Kyo-kun isn't so melancholy anymore,” quietly commented Tohru with a smile, feeling at ease upon seeing the lively Neko butt heads with his great-grandfather. Recalling Kyo's unusual behavior since they got back from their trip, she couldn't stop wondering the `why' behind it. One week later and still no change, being unusually sedate during their commutes to and from work/practice, even when Yuki joined them.

 

`Even Hana-chan said something about his `waves' being too murky to her liking when she saw us off to work yesterday.' She tried drawing him out of the self-imposed shell, even daring to include him in her conversations with Yuki at the risk of the two fighting, but to no avail. The orange/red-headed young man was simply at odds with those around him. She blamed herself initially, citing that somehow she wasn't giving him enough attention when he needed her, but Yuki assured her that the Neko was the same at home, so it wasn't her. Still, her guilt gnawed at her and she desperately hoped for a turnaround. This led her to contacting one other person who knew Kyo better than anyone…

 

Fondly looking over at her energized friend, she looked to Kazuma and softly whispered, “Arigatou gozaimasu, Shishou-san. I didn't know what else to do to cheer him up. You know just how to do it, though.”

 

“Hn…it's nothing remarkable…Kyo just needed some distraction, being so high-strung with the tournament approaching.” And that's the story he's sticking to. To tell Tohru differently would worry her endlessly.

 

Kazuma had noticed immediately the difference when his son returned to the dojo after the trip. `Melancholy' didn't even begin to describe Kyo's state of mind after his supposedly relaxing trip to the beach. At the dojo, he was more subdued…distant…and for whatever damn reason, he kept looking around him, searching…for nothing it seemed. But what scared this father the most…the fear…abject fear when he just suddenly spaced out in the middle of a training exercise. Thankfully it was a private session with himself, but it took a while to snap Kyo back to his normal self…well, to the point to where Kyo could talk fine without a tremor to his voice.

 

`Never had I seen Kyo in that state. Angry…bitter…depressed…most definitely. But fear…true fear…it sent ice through my veins to see that fear in his eyes. And he never wants to talk about it. How else can I help if he doesn't say anything?' He prided himself on his self-control, but his worry for his son's state of mind was pushing that control beyond its boundaries. Master Haji's advice on letting his son deal with this matter on his own was becoming harder to follow through…that he can't have a part in this `story' his son is unfortunately involved in was too cruel. A truth that was too cruel.

 

So, here he was with his pitiful attempts to do what he could to comfort his son, knowing that, eventually, the story will unfold itself to its ugly truth and his son will be the one to pay the price in the end, whatever that may be. Freedom…peace of mind…hope…

 

`How much more does he, the Neko, have to sacrifice for this family? For this curse? When will it all end?' Questions that had no answers, and if there were, perhaps it was better not to have the answers at all.

 

“Shishou, look over here at this sword. This is so AWESOME!” exclaimed an excited Neko while holding the bokken parallel to the floor. He then began swinging it around over his head with flair while Tetsuya safely stood back, chuckling lightly at the excited `child'. Master Haji on the other hand was ready to slam Kyo down with his cane…permanently.

 

Looking on with a wide smile, Kazuma broke away from his somber reverie and mentally sighed. `Enjoying the present is all that I can do anymore. And when the time comes, I will not have him suffer alone.'

 

“You do look different with that in your hands, Kyo. Maybe after this tournament is over, you'd like to take some lessons from Haji-ojiisan,” suggested Kazuma while eyeing his grandfather with a grin. Their reactions were predictable.

 

“HELL NO! I'd rather gouge my eyes out before becomin' the ol' perv's student—”

 

(Smack!)

 

“Red oak…good wood,” remarked Master Haji with approval as he eyed the bokken he held in his right hand. Having settled his cane against the wall, he used both hands and swung the bokken in one smooth kata before turning to the still-whimpering teen, said boy was still clutching his head after his encounter with Master Haji's bokken. “Great! Now that you're submissive and respectful to this sacred art, hold your bokken straight out like this pointing to Tetsuya-kun, sharp side facing down and hold it STEADY. Pft, we might as well forgo the more PROPER way of doing things now that you've managed to insult century's worth of PROPER decorum when handling these practice swords.”

 

Hearing the last said in a low grumble, it finally dawned on Kyo that he did go just a tad overboard with his excitement. `Dammit, it's no excuse to knock my brain out of whack…the jerk.' Settling to glare at his current teacher, he mumbled incoherently and mimicked the moves of the teacher.

 

Feet slightly apart, knees slightly bent, elbows sticking out or in?...don't matter… Okay, he's relaxed and ready…pointing a long, somewhat pointy stick at his opponent… `Oh yeah, the perfect picture of intimidation. Run and scream like a little girl, Tetsuya…I'm about to obliterate you with a big sti—'

 

(WHOOSH)

 

`—the HELL…' All this time he was readying himself, he ignored how Tetsuya properly presented himself to his sword that was not the bokken kind, but to one of the katanas that Master Haji had brought out. He'll have to remember to ask Tetsuya on how to properly approach this martial art from a swordsman's standpoint. The metal sword remained in its saya as Tetsuya tied it to his obi, adjusting its position so there'd be no problem unsheathing the sword properly.

 

Really, he had thought his guard was on high alert. The last `whack' from his great grandfather was enough to keep him wary of his surroundings. So his heartbeat suddenly lurched when Tetsuya abruptly sprung into action with his katana suddenly drawn and aimed at him in a rush, but then just as quickly it was diverted into a different direction. Tetsuya's actions were smooth and swift in executing the difficult kata…much like his sword was as it singed in the air. And just as suddenly it started, it all ended with the `clink' of the sword thrust back into its scabbard. Exercise over.

 

“Damn boy, wet your hakamas yet?” wryly remarked Master Haji as he noted the wide-eyed, slack-jaw countenance of the Neko. `Kid didn't even see it coming until the last minute…damn if his guard is lousy. This'll be tough…I can see why Kazu-kun is at his wits end on this lesson. Hmph, well, let's just do this the hard way then.'

 

“Tetsuya-san, that was…incredible,” softly commented Tohru as she looked at the men standing on the tatami mats with reverent awe. Looking to Kazuma, she asked, “Shishou-san, is this…what you meant…iaido?”

 

Kazuma merely looked down at her with bright eyes. “I have to agree with your reaction, Tohru-san. Tetsuya-kun, your form has improved immensely since I last saw you perform that kata.”

 

Shaking his head, Tetsuya turned to his martial arts teacher with a small grin. “It could be much better. I'm afraid my usual iai-jutsu practice has been curtailed in favor of preparing for this tournament. I hope you can come to the final judging in the fall…I'll be sure to show you a perfect kata then.”

 

“Pft, don't be so modest, Tetsuya-kun. All you need is practice, and here's your chance.” Settling his bokken on the wall rack, Master Haji retrieved the katana left on the other rack. Noticing that the orange/red-haired young man was still gawking to dead air, he dramatically rolled his eyes and smacked the boy lightly on the back of the head. “Hey, wake up! You are such a difficult student. I'm going to make it my mission in life to get you to hold up your guard! Tetsuya-kun…we'll try that particular kata we were working on last spring, all right?”

 

“But…I mean, not to question your judgment Master Haji, but, is it safe?” asked Tetsuya mildly apprehensive. “These katanas are dulled, but they can still cut and hurt Kyo if we accidentally slip up.”

 

At that Kyo snapped to attention. “Hey, what the hell?! You ain't usin' me as your guinea pig, Oyaji!”

 

(Thwack!)

 

“Silence, punk! I'm in charge here!” Mentally noting that nothing he has will ever crack the skull of this Neko, not even his fist, Master Haji nodded affirmatively to Tetsuya. “It'll be fine. He'll live. That's good enough for me.”

 

Kyo's hard glare and mumbled curses didn't faze the elderly Sohma as he struck a position behind him. He was only roused from starting another tirade against his great-grandfather by Tetsuya's calm voice.

 

“Kyo, try this.” Tetsuya quickly moved Kyo's arms and legs so that they were in the correct stance, the bokken now closer to the body with his elbows bent to allow for it. “I won't hurt you, Kyo. All I'll be doing is pointing out where your guard is open. The most I'll do is tap you with the tip of my katana, okay? If you feel you can block it with your bokken, then do so. Don't counter anything…are you ready?”

 

Kyo could only incredulously stare at his companion before replying, “No.”

 

“Then here I go,” retorted Tetsuya with a grin as he readied himself in his stance across from Kyo.

 

“Shishou-san, is this really the best idea to help Kyo-kun with his guard?” questioned Tohru worriedly.

 

Thinking about it more now, Kazuma admitted, “Hmmm, perhaps not. But I've run out of options, and the tournament is too close, and Kyo is not cooperating with me—”

 

“AHEM!” called out Master Haji with pointed stare at Kazuma. “We may have forgone all proper decorum today just to teach this idiot grandson of mine how to hold up his guard (`Oyaji, I'm really gonna kick your ass after this,' yelled Kyo), but this session does require silence from the audience.”

 

“Eh…yes, Haji-ojiisan,” sheepishly remarked Kazuma as he bowed in apology along with Tohru's numerous bows and apologies.

 

The silence stretched on for longer than Kyo was comfortable with, his eyes keeping steady contact with Tetsuya's body language. Just like with karate, it's not wise to stare at the weapons in his opponent's possession. Hands and feet were usually the `weapons' he was accustomed to dealing with, but now it's an actual period weapon that could hurt him. Although the katana will be weaved in an intricate kata that he'll have no hope of evading, it's still the same basic concept. Body language is everything and will tell him exactly where Tetsuya will strike. It'll be near impossible to counter, but that's not what he's supposed to do…just blocking it will suffice.

 

`Blocking. Yeah…this whole thing is about my guard. Any opening he finds, he'll tap it. I guess Oyaji will do that, too…then again, he may just knick me where my guard is open. -Pain is understanding.— That's what he'd say all right.' Keeping his breathing even and calm, he looked closely at Tetsuya, noting that the young man already has his left hand on his katana's saya, his right hand on the hilt of the sword. Idly he felt sorry for Tetsuya's opponents at the tournament. The stare the young man leveled at him was heavy and bored into his very soul if it could.

 

As before, Tetsuya moved swiftly and precisely…to the right, no…to the left. His katana drawn somewhere along the way…a distinct `whoosh' and a tap at his right shoulder. `Damn…missed that.' Another tap on his left leg. `Oyaji. Crap…two opponents at once SUCKS!'

 

They stopped. They started again…this time Master Haji faced him. Years of experience were clearly displayed in his stance, his hold over his sword wasn't hard, but soft…and his stare… Not heavy, but light, airy…dare he say, almost as if he weren't worthy of anything beyond a fleeting glance from his elder. Then…the old man moved. He had to have. He was already behind him, tapping him once on the right shoulder and once on the left thigh.

 

`Hell…he was too fast to catch on!' Not wanting to miss another opportunity of facing him, Kyo turned around and faced Master Haji once more, not bothering to comment on the sly grin the elderly Sohma sported.

 

`Finally, he's taking this seriously.' Master Haji noted with pride how Kyo was inadvertently starting to hold up his guard much better, looking to him with a rigid stare. `Now if he can only keep this up…I'll go easy on him for now.'

 

The next few katas were becoming more intricate and were executed at a faster pace, keeping Kyo constantly on his toes. He managed to block one tap from Tetsuya, but none of Master Haji's. As unorthodox as these methods were to improve his guard, he has never felt more exhilarated since he first started to learn more difficult katas from Kazuma over six months ago. It was during the fifth kata that he finally managed to nudge Master Haji's tap…not entirely a block, but close.

 

“Well done. Now let's see how you fare when both of us come at you at the same time. Tetsuya-kun…” Master Haji stood to Kyo's left as Tetsuya stood to his right. “Ready?”

 

Kyo wordlessly braced himself in his position, watching both of them carefully to see how quickly they'll come at him. `It'll be Oyaji…I think. Yeah…his right foot's shifting more than Tetsuya. But…Tetsuya's left shoulder is tensing up—'

 

It was moment that he would soon never forget. They were coming at him in their respective sides until they suddenly switched sides on him. The `shink' from their swords as they were drawn…the `whoosh' as they sailed through the air…the light that reflected off of them…one drawn high in the air above and another charging from below. Both created arcs of light trailing in the air…an illusion for the eye to fool the adversary. And distantly…very distantly, but surely…he heard the banging on a door that didn't exist.

 

His heart raced exponentially…his breathing becoming more labored. Sweat prickled on his skin. It became an unbearable pounding to his eardrums with each moment passing him by… His eyes only widened further as he gasped with the dawning of an understanding that was a long time in coming…

 

`That's what I saw in those dreams…two lights forming arcs above and below. They were…the light reflected off of swords?! What the—'

 

Without realizing the ramifications of his actions, Kyo actually charged ahead the instant he could form his next breath. It was a blur for him…the way he moved, the way he held his bokken aloft. All he wanted now was for the damn knocking, or rather, pounding to stop. He wanted these moments of rare clarity to go back where they came from because they only left more questions in their wake. He wanted it all to go away…to leave him be once and for all.

 

Soft laughter heard…a whisper just as soft followed. “Heh, are you still afraid of the rats?”

 

`LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!' It was a screech no one heard, echoed only in the dark confines of his mind as he deflected one strike against him and just as quickly blocked another, holding his bokken against the hard metal of Master Haji's sword. It was over just as quickly as it started, and all in the room could only stare in shock at him. It was a stillness that was felt by all.

 

Tetsuya was the first to break out of the spell. “Eh…I am…impressed, Kyo. I've never seen anyone with no experience manage to block strikes from two different opponents at the same time. Much less from Master Haji.”

 

“That was great, Kyo-kun! I'm sure your guard will be like a wall when you fight in the tournament! I'm so proud of you!” exclaimed Tohru, all the while clapping happily for him. She was too happy to see him accomplish an amazing feat all on his own that she didn't grasp the tension still in the shoulders of the Neko.

 

“Yes, you're right, Tohru-san, Tetsuya-kun! Kyo certainly learns…fast. He's quite the smart one when he puts his mind to it—that he certainly is. He constantly puts me on the spot to learn more techniques that I think are beyond his grasp, but he proves me wrong time and again, except for his guard, of course…” Kazuma ceased his ramblings, unsure if he managed to get Tetsuya and Tohru from catching on to Kyo's sudden departure from reality. The father could tell his son was in dire straits, as he didn't budge from his position against Master Haji. He himself tried to keep to the moment instead of letting loose on Kyo and demanding what was wrong because there was something definitely wrong here and he was tired of knowing nothing of the matter.

 

The comments going on behind Kyo's back slowly brought him back from his brief but horrific encounter with a dead dream, the soundless pounding on an imaginary door now fading to nothingness. Heavily panting, his grip on his bokken began to slacken barely as he mentally started to notice that he was still blocking his great-grandfather's katana. He abruptly unlocked himself from the block and stood back and avoided looking to the old man, certain that he'd find a question waiting for him to answer. And he could never answer it.

 

“Kyo-kun, are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?”

 

He turned and grinned at Tohru, immensely relieved to have her voice finally snap him out of his predicament. Dry. His mouth was too dry. `Say something, fool!' “Hey, you know me…can't get better at what I do without a little blood along the way. But I'm good…these guys kicked serious ass, didn't they? They were all over the place…Tetsuya, you really had me schooled, man.”

 

Grasping his sheathed sword, Tetsuya put on a grin that he knew Kyo wanted to see. As much as he wanted to accept this…this…well, whatever it was called…as just a fluke, he knew he'd be lying to himself. And it seemed that Kyo wanted to keep this incident low-key for the sake of Tohru only since none of the experts here will buy the excuse that it was just a fluke. `I will grant him this for the sake of keeping the peace for him. For now…'

 

“Well, just by going with this last round, I'm certain your guard will hold up well in the tournament, Kyo.” With a softened gaze to Tohru, he offered further assurances. “Kyo is as prepared as he'll ever be for the tournament. Now all he needs is support from his friends…you'll be there for him, won't you, Honda-san?”

 

Determined to stand by her friend's side, she boldly declared as she stood up, “Yes, certainly, of course! I won't let you down, Kyo-kun. I'm going to have banners made so that your family can use during the tournament…but they can't be too large or else they'll confiscate them at the gate…I think Momiji-kun mentioned wanting to help with them—”

 

Half-listening at Tohru's efforts to support their team, Tetsuya looked over to the two elder Sohmas, certain that they, too, wanted answers to Kyo's sudden actions. Yet it seemed that Master Haji was not in the least fazed about it, at least, it seemed that way. Being the favored student of the elderly man for years gave him precious insight into the mannerisms of said man. And they spoke volumes of how unsettled he actually was.

 

“Haji-ojiisan, could you just look at me, please?” asked Kazuma softly as he stared at the back of his grandfather. He whispered, “I know you could've countered his block at the last minute, no matter how out-of-the-blue it was. What made you hesitate? (Pause) I saw the look in your eyes. What did you see?”

 

All the while, the elderly Sohma continued about his business of settling his sheathed sword on the rack, grimacing inwardly at having placed it incorrectly on its stand. `Such an amateur mistake…how careless.' Tetsuya would've noticed this blatant error on his part. `Hiding our secrets is just not getting any better…'

 

“Haji-ojiisan…” quietly implored Kazuma.

 

“Just one angry Neko, Kazuma. Leave it alone.” He kept the tone in his voice even and firm and his use of his grandson's full name did silence the man. Master Haji was grateful for it and saddened as well. For if he could, he would say what he had just seen…what he was a witness to. But to tell it would mean to confirm his grandson's worst fears.

 

`The Neko is starting to take lead in the boy's life, and he's dragging Kyo kicking and screaming. Some miracle no one noticed his bracelet nearly burning away at his wrist. And if the look in his eyes was anything to go by…' The old man dared to look over at Kyo, noting how the young man seemed desperate in his attempts to keep his distance from him and stay close to Tohru, subconsciously seeking comfort from her presence.

 

`Pity…no comfort in the world will help you hide from the fearsome truth, Kyo. Your eyes said it all…' He mentally shuddered when he remembered the dark and forbidding stare Kyo had given him when he charged at him. Cold and malicious in its intent to destroy that which stood in its way. It was enough to make him hesitate…and he NEVER hesitated in his own martial art.

 

`Your eyes…were not yours. Old…damn old and just as damn pissed for that long. The real Neko in all his glory. (Heavily sighs) Welcome home, old friend.'

 

~*~*~

 

Briefly speaking (08-08-07):

 

Yes, VERY brief here today. I REALLY wanted to put out the other half (more like the other 75 percent) of the chapter but it was running long! Man, I can kick myself hard sometimes. Anyway, here's this portion so that you can at least chew on a little cookie before I slam the big one on your heads. It's big in the sense that it has a lot of details that are building up to the tournament. I've really struggled with it mainly because it was just not reaching me…if I really don't like it, I won't post, simple.

 

For this chapter, you may wish to refer to chapter 46…this is when Master Haji and Kazuma discuss serious matters related to Kyo and the Neko. Also, with the dream Kyo was referring to here—this was back in chapter 36, the first chapter for `summer'. Wow. I finally clarified something…maybe.

 

Also, this chapter makes reference to certain martial arts like kendo and iaido. I'm by no means an expert on the subjects but have read up on the subject matter quite thoroughly. For simplicity's sake, I was very general in explaining the proper methods of handling the practice swords and how katas are done with it. And, of course, I took artistic liberty with this! You really should read up on the subject…it's a very elaborate form of martial arts.

 

I think the song, “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones, suits the mood in this chap with Kyo, ne?

 

Next chapter, exclusively Yuki, plus others, too! Expect it sometime later this week! It really is almost complete!

 

Thanks to all my readers and supporters…the reviews are my fuel! Send me the love, people, if it can be spared! Ja ne!