"Futaba!"
She groans.
"Futaba! Don't lay on the ground. Come inside, we need to talk."
Her mother's voice calls from inside the house. Futaba sighs and stretches her arms out. She always made it a bad habit to lay outside the dojo in the grass after morning training. And afternoon training. Almost always after training she would lay out in the grass. It was relaxing, after all.
Futaba slowly makes her way back into the house, which was directly next to her family's dojo. Upon entering the house, Futaba instantly walks to the kitchen, fully expecting to get chewed out for some previous chore she didn't do. "Yes, mom?" She says, turning into the kitchen to find both of her parents sitting at the table. "Dad, you're here too?"
"Yes. Sit down." He motions for Futaba to sit in the chair across from them. She swallows and takes her seat.
"Why are you guys acting so serious? ...Am I in trouble?" Futaba shifts in her seat uncomfortably.
"Nothing of the sort." Her mother replies instantly. Her father gives her mother a stern look and she sighs.
"Is...Is this about the fight?" Futaba starts. She clutches her gi. "I told you it was an accident..."
Her father sighs loudly. "We know."
"Futaba, honey. Just listen." Her mother's voice softens. Futaba avoids any eye contact with either of them. "Lately, we've been noticing how...You've been acting."
Great. Now her parents think she's a delinquent because of one accident.
"We were thinking that maybe you just aren't challenged enough here. Am I wrong?" Her father's stern voice comments. It would be bad if she didn't answer, so she raises her head.
"Yeah, I guess."
"There is no shame in admitting that." He replies. "I don't want you to feel bored. You have so much potential and I can see it." Her parents look at each other. Futaba raises an eyebrow.
"Really..?"
"We are going to send you to Kyoto. To live with your grandparents until you graduate." Her mother smiles at her.
"Wait what?"
"You remember them right? Well, I suppose you were very young when we left."
"What."
"Don't worry, they have a dojo up there too. I'm sure father still keeps up with it and is willing to assist you in practice."
"They're so excited that you're coming. It will be a lot of fun, Futaba. It's good to get some fresh air every once in awhile."
Futaba mentally checked out. Why on Earth would they send her away just like that? Just before the start of her second year of high school? It didn't make any sense. They wouldn't send her away for something so trivial like how she felt.
The weeks afterwards passed by in a blur. Packing wasn't hard because Futaba didn't own very much to begin with. The train ride to Kyoto from Osaka was a few hours long, but Futaba couldn't really remember what happened. Ever since it was decided that she was moving away, she'd felt weird.
She could barely remember the last conversation she had with her parents. She could remember her mom telling her to wear something comfy, so she wore her old baseball jersey and some sweats. She does vaguely remember her parents telling her that they loved her. Futaba shakes her head. Now that it was time to exit the train, she couldn't afford to disassociate. One wrong turn and she'd be screwed. She'd never been in Kyoto, and traveling alone didn't help. Sightseeing at this moment in time didn't seem important. She was here to improve herself and make her parents proud. So she trudged over to the address that her grandparents had sent her. She doesn't really remember them, because she was so young when she saw them last. But there are photos of them displayed at home in Osaka.
The house she ended up at didn't seem like she was at the right place. The sign at the front read "Senka-Ryu Traditional Japanese Dance." Underneath that sign was another, reading "Hanayagi". So maybe she was definitely in the wrong place.
Looking down at her phone, she searches through her contact list to call one of her grandparents.
"Is that Futaba-chan?" She hears a voice call. Futaba slowly lowers her phone, looking for the owner of the voice. She watches as an elderly lady steps out of the door of the Hanayagi household.
"Huh." Futaba mutters, squinting at the elderly woman. She had no idea if that was her grandmother. Maybe the pictures at home weren't as accurate. Those were most likely taken several years ago. But that lady knew her name.
"It is!" The elderly lady waves at her. "Come come!" The first thing she notices is her delicate stature and gray hair. Maybe that was her grandmother. But if Futaba was going to judge by hair color, then any elderly person could be one of her grandparents. She had to try.
"Granny?" Futaba slowly walks over to her. The elderly woman throws her arms around Futaba, crushing her.
"Oh, you're so big now!" She lets go of Futaba and pinches her cheeks.
"Ow, ow, ow..." Futaba groans. Okay, so maybe this was her actual grandmother.
"What's going on?" She hears an old man's voice. Both her and her 'grandmother' turn to the man. He was bald and had a few wrinkles on his face, displaying his old age. Maybe that's her grandfather? She really should've took a picture of the photo at home.
"Futaba-chan's here. Look at how big she is." Her grandmother pats her shoulders.
"Oh, that was today?" He chuckles. "Oops." He ruffled her hair. "Grandpa's got bad memory."
"Come inside." She ushers Futaba inside. Futaba grabs her suitcase before any of her grandparents could.
"I was confused when I got here. You guys teach dancing or something?" Futaba asks, as she follows her grandparents.
"No, no." Her grandmother laughs. "Hanayagi-san does."
"Who's that?" Futaba tilts her head in confusion. Her grandmother turned back and gave Futaba a weird look.
"You're going to live here and you don't even know about the famous Hanayagi family?" Suddenly, she brought out a paper fan from her robe and swiftly hit Futaba's head.
"Ow!"
"Oh, who's this?" Another unrecognizable voice asks. Futaba turns to find an older woman with blue hair approaching them.
"Good morning, Hanayagi-san." Her grandparents greet the other woman. "You remember Futaba-chan, right?"
"Of course I do! But…that was today?" Hanayagi laughs. Sweat drops down Futaba's face. What was with these people and forgetting dates?
Realizing, she hadn't greeted Hanayagi, she bows her head. "Thank you for allowing me to stay in your household."
"Don't worry about it." She pats Futaba's head.
"Uh..." Futaba mutters.
"It'll be nice to have another young successor around. Or heir. Whatever the word is." Hanayagi takes her hand off of Futaba's head. "You're strong, ain't you?" She inspects Futaba's biceps, by squeezing them a little.
"Uh...Thanks." Futaba replies.
"We'll make sure to practice everyday, since the dojo is close by." Her grandfather speaks up.
"Ain't you the same age as Kaoruko?" Hanayagi puts her hands on her hips.
"She is." Her grandmother replies for her.
Futaba had no idea who this Kaoruko was either. Futaba wouldn't dare say that out loud, especially since her grandmother hit her with a paper fan for her previous question.
"I'll let you settle in, Futaba." Hanayagi begins to walk away. "Come the dance studio if you wanna see Kaoruko. It's been awhile since you last saw her."
"Yes ma'am." Futaba replies.
"No need to be formal. You can call me Aunty." She waves her hand as she walks away.
"This way, Futaba-chan." Her grandmother motions for her to follow her into another room. "This is your room. Come find grandpa in the courtyard when you're done."
"Okay."
She was left alone in her new room. All it contained was a bed and a small desk. Her new home for the next two years. She carefully set down her suitcase and backpack. Not wanting to keep her grandfather waiting, she leaves her room. She'd unpack later.
"This is mine?!" Futaba couldn't believe her eyes. Like she was asked, she met her grandfather in the courtyard. She would have never thought she'd be getting a gift upon arriving to the Hanayagi household. In front of her was a new white Tonda, with red details. On the seat was a new maroon helmet.
"Yep." He replies. "Your dad had it sent to us a couple days ago. Said it was your early birthday present." He holds out the keys for her to take.
"No way..." Futaba stares down at the keys. She touches the seat and grips the handlebar.
"You know how to ride one of these?"
"Yeah. Sometimes dad let me borrow his old Tonda."
Futaba ran a hand over the side of the bike. "Wow…" The paint was solid and shiny, it was definitely new. She'd have no problem taking good care of it.
"You got a license?"
"Of course, gramps." Futaba laughs. She takes the helmet and stares into the eyeshield. "This is really mine?"
"Yeah! Why don't you take it for a spin?" He motions for her to get on the bike.
"I should." Futaba nods and places her hand on the seat.
"There you both are!" Her grandmother waves at them and makes her way outside. She seemed distressed. "Oh, Kaoruko-chan snuck out again!"
"Again?" Her grandfather simply laughs.
"Again..?" Futaba raises an eyebrow. "It happens a lot?"
"Could you go out and look for her?" She pleads.
"Sure. I was just heading out anyway." Futaba puts her helmet over her head. It fit her head perfectly. She walks the motorcycle through one of the openings between the dojo and the caretaker house. From there, she walks to the front of the house, with her grandparents following close behind her. Once she reaches the front gate, she hops on her new bike and starts the engine. She lifts the eyeshield, "...Granny I don't know what she looks like."
"Just like Hanayagi-san. You can't miss her."
"...Alright. Be back soon." Futaba slides the eyeshield down again. She revs the engine and speeds off.
Futaba needed to the learn where things were in Kyoto. Following her gut didn't always work out. Last year, a girl asked her if she wanted to get ice cream together, and Futaba agreed. She swore she knew the place and insisted on meeting her there, but Futaba ended up going to the ice cream shop on the other side of town. It was embarrassing, and the girl didn't speak much to Futaba after that. She was hot too.
Trying to rid herself of embarrassing memories, Futaba shakes her head. She realized she was riding around the same area for at least 15 minutes. Sighing in annoyance, she takes a random right, hoping to explore a new area of Kyoto in the search of this Kaoruko girl.
Futaba notices blue hair when she rides by a park. She slows down, trying to get a better look at the blue haired girl without looking like a creep. But she couldn't quite make it out from where she was. Futaba would just have to walk up to her and ask. The worst thing that could happen is that not being Kaoruko. And honestly, it still wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
Turning off her bike and hopping off, Futaba heads toward the blue haired girl and her friends. She was with two other girls, just talking. As Futaba got closer, they all looked up at her. I guess it was Futaba's cue to speak up.
"Are you Kaoruko?" Futaba asks.
"Who's asking?" The blue haired girl replies, crossing her arms.
"Your family's worried about you. I'm here to bring you back." Futaba tilts her head, motioning for the other girl to get on.
"Who's this, Kaoruko-chan? A new friend?" One of the girls sitting next to her asks.
"I've never seen this gremlin before. Who're you?" Kaoruko smirks at Futaba.
Futaba clenches her teeth, "Who the hell are you calling a gremlin?" Futaba has a potty mouth when she's aggravated, but she's been trying her best not to speak like that. If Kaoruko was going to be the one to end her good streak, she'd assume she'd always have a potty mouth around her. Kaoruko didn't seem nice in the slightest.
"Nah." Kaoruko crosses her arms and looks away. "Go away, you're ruining my day out."
Futaba scoffs, "You're ruining mine too."
"Good luck 'cause Yuki-han is coming and he's gonna beat you up for tryin' to take me away." Kaoruko leans back. The other girls sitting next to her giggle and all of their gazes turn past Futaba. She turns as well.
Walking toward her was a taller boy with a chain around his neck, hands shoved in his pocket, carrying the meanest look Futaba's seen this month. "Oi. Is this guy bothering you, Kaoruko-han?" She was already having a bad feeling about this.
"Yeah." Kaoruko smirks again at Futaba. She shakes her head. She felt a large hand on her shoulder.
"You're pretty tiny for a guy." He says. Futaba takes a deep breath.
She grabs his wrist and twists, "It's because I'm not a guy." He grunts in pain. She pushes him away and sighs, "I'm Isurugi. Your family is actually really worried."
Before she can say anything else, she could sense Yuki going for the attack. She steps out of the range of his punch and counters by tripping his foot. Yuki falls and lands face first on the ground.
"Wait...Isurugi? Like granny Isurugi?" Kaoruko stands up.
"That's my grandma. She's really old looking and has wrinkles, and gramps is bald. She carries like...a paper fan to smack people with."
"Yeah, okay...You must be the granddaughter."
Futaba nods. She hops on her bike again and looks at the blue haired girl. "C'mon. Let's not keep them waiting."
"I guess...I'll see you all later." Kaoruko waltzes over to Futaba and hops on the back.
"Hold on tight." Futaba revs the engine again and speeds off, this time with Kaoruko holding onto her shoulders.
Upon arriving to the Hanayagi household, her grandparents and the rest of the housemaids were eagerly waiting for their return. "They're back! Everyone can relax now." When Futaba turns off the bike, Kaoruko jumps off, already being ushered into the house by the housemaids.
"Please stop sneaking out like that!"
"Huhhhhhh but it's so boring here..."
"You must practice, Kaoruko ojou-san!"
Futaba pulls off her helmet. Her face was lightly covered in sweat. She wipes her forehead with her sleeve and sets the helmet back on the bike. "Kaoruko...How many times must you do this?" Futaba can hear 'mama' Hanayagi scolding her daughter. Futaba watches as Kaoruko's only response is to pout. Mama Hanayagi sighs. "Thank you for finding her, Futaba."
"It was nothing." Futaba shakes her head before walking her motorcycle to the courtyard.
Her first impression of Kaoruko was not good at all. She's a brat. Futaba made a mental note to steer clear of her.
Feeling exhausted from her trip and the search for Kaoruko, Futaba returns to her room. She stares at the ceiling, recalling the events of the day so far.
Today was the start of her new life in Kyoto. From the looks of it, the Hanayagi household had a lot of caretakers and the daughter is a brat who sneaks out a lot. Her grandparents seem friendly, although her grandmother keeps that paper fan on her.
Their property turned out to be bigger than she expected. The Hanayagi house consists of four parts. Everything was connected by the deck, except the courtyard of course. The main house is at the very front, with the courtyard behind it. An old fountain is in the center of the courtyard. The Kyoto Isurugi Dojo is directly across from the main house, and the Hanayagi Senka-Ryu Studio is diagonal from it. And the caretakers household is right across from the studio.
Futaba felt like drifting off to sleep. Her eyelids felt heavy, despite it being so early in the afternoon. A nap wouldn't hurt. Naps you don't have to really think about are the best. Exhaustion takes over and you just drift off to sleep. Futaba was about to have one of those naps. But just as her eyelids were about to close, her door slams open.
"You!"
Futaba sighs and turns her head to find an angry Kaoruko. "...What?" Futaba sits up to meet Kaoruko's gaze.
"It's your fault that mama yelled at me." She walks over and towers over Futaba.
"How's it my fault if you were the one who snuck out in the first place?" Futaba stood up, causing Kaoruko to step back. Kaoruko opens her mouth to say something but quickly shuts it.
"Hmph." She crosses her arms and smiles. "You're new here. I'll let it slide this one time, but you'll see soon enough."
"See what?" Futaba asks and Kaoruko turns back to the door. She stops before exiting the room.
"That I get what I want around here." Kaoruko smirks.
Kaoruko slams the door, leaving Futaba stunned. "Seriously?"
Okay, Kaoruko is truly a brat. Maybe even more devil-like since she smirks when she speaks.
Futaba didn't know how things ran around here, but there was no way she'd let Kaoruko step all over her. Futaba was raised to be a leader and there was no way she was going to turn into one of those caretakers or housemaids. The whole reason why she was here in the first place was because her parents thought she had reached her limit in Osaka. And maybe to fix her little fighting issue. It was an accident. But if Kaoruko was apart of this Kyoto challenge, she'd gladly take no part in it.
And at this point, Futaba already knew she wouldn't mix well with Kaoruko. Both girls seemed to know already. There was no way she'd end up taking care of a 15 year old baby.
"Too slow!" Before Futaba could react, her grandfather had already swept her feet and she fell hard on the dojo floor.
"Ow..." Futaba groans. "Gramps, no fair."
"Hah, no fair?" He positions his bokken sword where Futaba's heart was. "If this were a real battle, you'd be dead by now." He pauses, making sure his message was understood by Futaba, before moving his bokken away.
"Yeah...I guess." Futaba mutters. She stands up again, taking her fighting stance. She grips her own bokken and waits for the old man to make the call.
"Now, just because I'm old doesn't mean you hold back." He holds his bokken out in front of Futaba and fixes his stance. "Come!"
"Haaaah!" Futaba swings her sword against his. She attacks again and again, small pauses in between, but not long enough for him to counter. Feeling like she has the upper hand, she pushes her weight into her next swing and tries to push her grandfather's sword down. "Give up, gramps." She smirks. He laughs a little and uses Futaba's weight against her. She slips forward as he moves out of the way and he swiftly uses the hilt of the sword to hit the center of Futaba's back.
Her back throbs and she doesn't bother getting up right away. Pain like this wasn't something she could get used to. Scrapes and bruises were apart of life, but not everyone had to study the blade. But she supposes it was better than getting stabbed with an actual sword. "Jeez, what is your father teaching you?"
"...Not enough, I guess." She replies. Futaba slowly sits up, and notices her grandfather holding his hand out. She takes it and he helps her up.
"That's alright. I can dedicate most of my time to help you train." He ruffled her hair and smiles. "You're strong. I'm proud of you, and I'm excited to see how far you can go."
Her grandfather was nothing like her father. Her father was a strict and punctual man, who never really praised her often. Once she got a praise from him when she helped her team win the middle school baseball tournament. That was really the only time she remembered being praised by him.
"W-Wow…" She was at a loss for words. "Thanks, gramps." Futaba looks down at her feet and smiles. She probably looked like an idiot, just standing there smiling, but it felt nice.
"Let's take a break. I'm hungry." He grabs Futaba's bokken and places both swords back in their proper places.
"Right." As he does that, she grabs her towel and hangs it around her neck, wiping the sweat from her face. It was a good practice.
"Come outside." He exits the dojo and sits on the deck of the dojo, letting his legs hang off the edge. Futaba sits down next to him. "Lunch should be here in three. Two. One-" He points over to the main house. The back sliding door of the main house opens and four housemaids carrying trays of food and drinks walk out. Two walk toward them at the dojo, and the other two walk to the studio.
"Isurugi-sama." They bow and place the trays next to them.
"Thanks." Futaba nods her head, and grandfather waves in acknowledgement. "So...can you explain to me how this works?"
"What? Lunch?"
"No, I don't mean that..." Futaba takes one of the glasses off the tray and sips. "I didn't know we had caretakers too?"
"We sure do." He grabs a small sandwich from the plate. "Since way before you and I were born, the Hanayagi and Isurugi families have lived together. The Hanayagi were famous for their traditional Japanese dance, and Isurugi for their swordsmanship, as you know. We have a partnership."
"Wait, really?" Futaba spits out her water and wipes her mouth with her sleeve. "No way."
"Your father didn't tell you about that?" He gives her a weird look.
"He just made me train."
"Well, he was always a black sheep. He was the first to take off y'know."
"Take off? We were originally supposed to live here?" Futaba's stomach growls, reminding her that she needed to eat. She grabs one of the sandwiches and takes a bite.
"Yeah." He takes a sip of his drink. "You were around 3 years old when you all left. At least he still taught you our trade but, I would've loved to see you grow up. But, you're here now."
"...Are you mad at him?"
"Nah. I don't really care anymore, you still turned out fine. Right?"
"Uh...Yeah." Futaba nods slowly.
Most likely, the whole reason why she was sent to Kyoto was because of the accidental fight last month. But her parents labeled it as "reaching your limit." Futaba could only guess. Either way, her grandfather didn't need to know about the fight.
"But while you are living here, you will be taken care of. So don't stress too much."
"Alright." Futaba silently eats her lunch. The housemaid from earlier catches her eye. She was walking out of the studio with the same tray of food and walked back into the main house. "Say, if we've got a dojo here, how come its not busy?"
"I stopped teaching a few months back. But now that you are here, I might have the motivation to keep it up. For the time being, you have it all to yourself."
"I see." Having the dojo to herself was a luxury she didn't have often back in Osaka. She'd make sure to use her time wisely, until her grandfather decided to open it back to the public again. "What about the dance studio? Is that pretty busy? I've never gone in there yet." Since arriving a few days ago, Futaba made a mental note to never go in there, because she'd most likely run into the blue haired devil from before.
"Always. Kaoruko-chan's talented, and sometimes people come to watch and learn. You should sit in during one of their practices. Maybe even join in yourself." He laughs.
"...Right." No way she'd want to be taught by Kaoruko. She leans on her hand and gazes over at the fountain. Futaba had never seen it turned on. "What's with the fountain?"
"It's broken. Been meaning to get someone to fix it but never got around to it."
"I see." In the corner of her eye, she watches as housemaids frantically run around the courtyard.
"Looks like she ran away again."
"..." Futaba stares at the sky above her. Kaoruko wasn't her responsibility.
"You look tired. Go change out of your gi if you're going to nap." Grandfather stands up and walks away.
"Okay."
Futaba had too much freedom here in Kyoto. No one bothered her to do chores, simply because they had housemaids to do things for her. There was no way Futaba was ever going to abuse that of course, but it still felt weird. With all this free time, Futaba had to find something else to do. Laying in bed all day didn't seem productive, and it made her feel really lazy. She'd do that another day, when she really needed rest.
Futaba's motorcycle is kept on the side of the dojo, since her and her grandfather are usually the only people who use it. She walks it out to the front of the main house and starts the engine. Futaba puts on her maroon helmet and revs the engine. It seems that no one cared if Futaba left, unlike Kaoruko. Maybe it was because she had left the household at a young age, and everyone had accepted that she was capable without them. As for Kaoruko, it seemed like the complete opposite. Maybe they didn't believe in her as much, or maybe Kaoruko was always going to be their baby. Futaba didn't care to think about it anymore. At least she wouldn't be scolded.
In an attempt to familiarize herself with her new town, Futaba rode around. She didn't have a curfew as far as she knew, and she didn't feel like it'd be the end of the world if she got lost. There was no sense of urgency like she felt the last time she was out.
Leisurely riding around town was relaxing. It was getting darker out, and Futaba enjoyed riding at night. Back in Osaka, her father let her borrow his old Tonda to go to school and run errands, but she never really had the time to just ride it around and enjoy the speed. Racing was definitely out of the question, but at this point she was considering it.
As she's speeding down the street, the blue hair she'd been wary of is spotted in the corner of her eye. Futaba spots Kaoruko sitting alone by the river bank. She comes to a full stop and gazes down at the other girl. She was holding her knees, staring at the water. Futaba sighs, turns off her bike, and takes off her helmet. She's already walking down to Kaoruko before she can change her mind.
Futaba walks over with light steps, making sure not to alert the other girl of her presence until the time was right. She shoves her hands in her pockets once she's a few feet behind the blue haired girl. "You're not with your friends today?"
Kaoruko turns slowly, looking at Futaba with a surprised expression. "It's you."
"So, what's with you?" She slowly starts. Kaoruko doesn't respond right away, she instead turns her head back towards the water. Futaba stands next to Kaoruko, gazing at the water. In the distance, she could see the sun setting. Where they were, it was a perfect place to view the sunset.
"I can't watch the sunset in peace?" Kaoruko asks, looking up at Futaba.
"You looked sad." Futaba shrugs.
"Oh? Were you going to check up on me and try to make me feel better?" Kaoruko smirks.
Futaba scoffs, "As if. I came down here because everyone back at home is worried sick. Again."
"..." Kaoruko grabs a pebble from the ground and throws it into the water. "...Take me home then."
"...Alright." Futaba replies. Kaoruko walks to the motorcycle first, with Futaba following close behind.
"So, how'd you know where I was?" Kaoruko speaks for the first time since she'd got on the bike.
"I didn't." Futaba replies. "I don't care enough about you to keep up with your little tantrums."
"Yet you still come and find me each time."
Futaba scoffs, "It was only twice. Let's just get this one thing straight. It's obvious we don't like each other, so let's not try to act as anything more than people who happen to live in the same house."
"Fine." Kaoruko squeezes harder and Futaba grunts.
"Don't squeeze me, dammit!"
"Next time, don't bother lookin' for me. I don't wanna see your stupid gremlin face."
"You're lucky I don't just kick you off and make you walk home, you blue bastard."
"Don't speak in my presence with that potty mouth of yours!"
"My bike, my rules." Futaba speeds up to hopefully, get her passenger to shut up.
Somehow they arrived home without killing each other. They notice Futaba's grandmother sitting outside. "Get off." Futaba demands and Kaoruko jumps off, not bothering to look at her or thank her. It was like the normal conversation between them at the river bank never happened. And Futaba was fine with that.
"Ah, you two are back. I'm glad you came home safely, Kaoruko-chan." She waves at the two girls. Futaba simply looks away and walks her bike back to its proper place next to the dojo.
"I'm home, granny Isurugi."
"Welcome back."
Futaba rolls her eyes. She'd never met someone as selfish, rude, and lazy as Hanayagi Kaoruko. If there was someone out there worse than that girl, Futaba wanted nothing to do with that person. She had only known this girl for a few days, but Futaba knew there was just no way they'd ever see eye to eye. Especially when she acts like the devil itself.
