Disclaimer: I do not own "Kyo Kara Ore Wa!" or "Kannazuki no Miko." They belong to their respective owners. No profit is being made from this story.
Author's Note: This is a sequel to my story "Mahoroba Menace."
This story includes mention of themes some may find distressing/offensive. PM me if you feel the rating is too low.
"What do you think Kyoko-chan?" Riko asked as she stepped out of the fitting room and twirled around to show off her dress.
Kyoko smiled. "It's beautiful Riko-chan. It suits you"
"You really think so?"
"I do. You look very pretty. You should definitely buy it."
"Thanks."
She beamed as she recalled how Kyoko had telephoned her yesterday and asked her if she wanted to go shopping. She had happily accepted, glad to spend some time with her friend where it was only the two of them. She didn't have many girl friends and as much as she cared about Mitsuhashi and Ito there were some things she felt more comfortable talking to another girl about.
By contrast Kyoko had a lot of girl friends and had introduced Riko to them. All of them had gotten along brilliantly, often getting together for girls days out, sleepovers, and such. She had invited them to come along too but they were all busy with other things so it was just her and Riko. That didn't stop them from having a great time going around the shopping district and visiting various stores.
After trying on a few more dresses they bought the ones they liked and left, pleased with their purchases.
"It's a pity San-chan and Ito-san aren't here" Riko commented. "We could have gotten them to carry our bags for us."
Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "Really? I know Ito-san would be happy to do that but Mitsuhashi-san?"
Riko replied, "Of course. We'd just have to say that Ito-san is stronger than him and San-chan would insist on carrying all of our bags to prove he was strongest."
Kyoko giggled. "Yes that's true."
Riko also giggled but there was an odd look in her eyes that her friend did not miss.
"Can I ask you something personal Riko-chan?" she asked softly.
"Sure go ahead."
"Do you like Mitsuhashi-san? Really like him?"
Riko hesitated for a moment and then said, "Yes. I don't know why but I do. Do you think I'm weird because of that?"
Kyoko laughed gently. "Not at all. We both know that Mitsuhashi-san has a good side buried deep down. And although he won't admit it I'm sure he likes you too."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Thank you Kyoko-chan" she said gratefully.
"You're welcome Riko-chan."
Just then a teenage guy came running up from behind a corner. As he ran past the girls he made a grab for Riko's purse.
She reacted instantly, catching his arm and throwing him to the ground face-first. Before he could get up she had crouched down and took hold of his arm by the wrist and elbow, pinning him to the ground. He struggled but couldn't get free.
"I'll call the police" said Kyoko. "Can you hold him until they get here?"
"No problem."
After the police had taken the would-be thief away the girls went to a café.
"That was amazing Riko-chan" said Kyoko. "How did you pin that guy like that when he was so much bigger than you?"
"It's an aikido technique called ude osae" she explained. "I applied pressure to the ulnar nerve in his wrist. There are certain nerves in the human body that if you apply pressure to them you can pin someone even if they're bigger and stronger."
Kyoko nodded. "I wish I could do that."
"Well why don't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"You can learn my family's style of aikido at our dojo. My father would be happy to teach you and Ryo-kun and I could give you private sessions in addition to the group lessons" Riko suggested.
"I appreciate your offer but I don't want my parents to get the wrong idea."
"If you like I could talk to my father and he could explain it to your parents. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if we properly explained it to them."
Kyoko thought about it for a moment and then said, "Yes, I would like to learn the Akasaka style. Thank you very much Riko-chan."
Riko smiled.
A few days later they were standing at the entrance to the Akasaka dojo. Riko glanced at her friend. "Are you okay Kyoko-chan? You seem a little nervous."
"A little" she admitted. "I'm worried that I'll fail, or hurt myself, or hurt someone else." She smiled wryly. "Okay I'm more than a little nervous."
Riko chuckled. "It's good that you're not taking this lightly. My father told me that anyone who wants to learn any martial art should respect how dangerous it can be both to themselves and others. They should be nervous at first. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine. You're strong Kyoko-chan. Besides Ryo-kun and I will look out for you."
"I appreciate that Riko-chan."
They entered the dojo to find Ryo waiting for them in his hakama. He smiled as he saw them.
"Good morning Riko-san, Kyoko-san."
"Good morning Ryo-kun."
"Riko-san told me you would like to learn the Akasaka style Kyoko-chan" said Ryo. "I'd be happy to offer my guidance and support."
"I'd be very grateful for that" she replied. "I'm sure you can teach me a lot."
His smile brightened. He liked Kyoko. Not romantically of course, those feelings were only for Riko, but she was a nice girl and a good friend that he was glad to help in any way.
"I'll do my best. Today we'll start with proper stances and footwork."
"Why is that important?" Kyoko asked. She wasn't impatient, just curious.
Ryo explained, "To defeat a stronger opponent you need to use leverage, momentum and balance to turn their own force against them. You need to stand properly to keep your centre of gravity low and your weight evenly distributed. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to pull off the techniques without losing your balance."
She frowned. "That sounds complicated/ I'm not sure I could remember all of that if someone attacked me."
"Don't worry about that" said Riko. "It takes time but after you've practised them long enough your body can perform the moves automatically without you needing to think about them."
"You can do that?" Kyoko asked in fascination.
"We can" Riko replied.
"Well then let's go" said Kyoko brightly.
Over the next few weeks Riko and Ryo taught her the basic back triangle stance of aikido, correct posture and footwork. They also taught her how to fall and roll properly, allowing her to absorb the effects of a fall without injury.
"I'm sorry about this Kyoko-chan" said Riko as they faced each other, both wearing hakamas.
"It's okay, I understand" she replied. "You can't go easy on me if I want to learn properly. I don't mind, really."
"Okay."
Kyoko attacked and Riko threw her to the mat. As they had taught her she slapped her palms down on the mat to better absorb the force of the fall.
"Well done" said Riko as she helped her up. "You're making great progress."
"Thanks Riko-chan" she replied as she dusted herself off. "I know this is important but I have to admit I'm looking forwards to being on the other end of the throwing."
Riko chuckled. "Don't worry, we'll get to that in due time."
In addition to her practise sessions with Riko and Ryo, Kyoko also studied in the group lessons. At school she told her friends what she was doing and to her delight they joined the Akasaka dojo as well. Riko's father was pleased to have new students and dedicated himself to teaching them well.
"Thank you so much for this Akasaka-san" she told him. "I'm sure this will be very good for my friends and me."
He smiled and replied, "There is no need to thank me Hayagawa-san. You're a good friend to my daughter. It's a pleasure to teach you and your friends."
When she first started Kyoko was unsure she would ever be able to grasp the details of the art. Despite that she kept at it and slowly but surely her skills improved. Having learned how to fall properly she progressed to learning how to properly shift weight and balance, and then finally to learning the techniques themselves.
One day Ryo charged her. Without thinking she threw him to the floor just as she'd been taught.
"I did it" she exclaimed happily. Her face reddened. "I'm sorry, I did not mean any disrespect."
Riko just smiled. "It's okay. I'm very proud of you Kyoko-chan."
"So am I" Ryo agreed as she helped him up.
"Thank you Riko-chan, Ryo-kun. I'm just glad I have such great teachers as you and Akasaka sensei."
A few days later Kyoko was delighted to receive a phone call from another of her friends, Ito's cousin Himemiya Chikane. Chikane told her that he father was coming to Chiba on a business trip. She and her girlfriend, Kurusugawa Himeko were coming along to pay a visit.
When Himeko and Chikane arrived they were met by Kyoko, Riko, Ryo and some of Kyoko's friends Yumi, Akane and Rei.
"Hello again" said Himeko brightly.
"Hello Himeko-san." Kyoko indicated Riko and Ryo. "These are my friends Riko and Ryo."
"A pleasure to meet you Himemiya-san, Kurusugawa-san" said Riko.
"Same to you" replied Himeko.
"They've been teaching us aikido" said Rei eagerly.
"Oh wow that's great" said Himeko. "Could you show us?"
"Sure."
They went back to the Akasaka dojo. Chikane and Himeko watched in fascination as they demonstrated what they had learned.
"Impressive" said Chikane. "You've taught them well Akasaka-san."
"Thank you Himemiya-san" Riko replied.
The next day Himeko was out in the countryside. Her camera was in her hand as she cheerily took pictures of the many colourful flowers in bloom. Chikane was currently accompanying her father to one of his meetings. It would soon be finished and she would pick up Kyoko before meeting her here. Riko couldn't come as she was off visiting an aunt.
Oh those bellflowers are so beautiful she thought giddily. They match Chikane-chan's eyes! I can't wait to take a picture of her standing in the middle of them.
She heard a branch crunch underfoot and turned around, her smile fading. Chikane was always elegant and mindful in everything she did. Whoever was approaching was crashing heavily through the countryside, showing no consideration for what was around them. Chikane would never be so thoughtless, nor would Kyoko.
A group of guys emerged in front of her. All of them wore cruel, brutal expressions.
"Well, well what have we got here?" said one.
Very afraid now Himeko turned and ran. The gang gave chase, hollering and yelling out obscene threats.
She quickened her pace, long golden hair streaming out behind her and her feet pounding down on the (thankfully dry) grass, but they easily kept up. Her heart thudded against her ribs as she continued to flee blindly in the grip of utter panic.
She didn't see the raised tree root until her foot snagged on it and she fell to the ground, the impact winding her. Terrified, she rolled over and looked up at the thugs as they loomed over her.
"Himeko!"
Chikane-chan she thought, relief filling her heart.
Chikane sprinted up and slammed into the nearest thug. He found himself on his back staring up at the furious blue-haired girl in shock for a second before she knocked him out with a solid punch.
Kyoko ran over to Himeko and helped her up. "Are you okay Himeko-san?"
Before she could reply one of the goons yelled "let's teach these ****** a lesson!"
"Take cover" said Chikane firmly.
"Be careful Chikane-chan" said Himeko as she hid behind a tree.
Kyoko stood her ground. "Let me help you" she said. She normally didn't believe in fighting but this was an exception. This wasn't just a few troublemakers trying to show how tough they were. It was clear what they had planned for Himeko. She couldn't et her friend face such people alone.
There was no time to argue as Chikane found herself facing two knife-wielding goons. She calmly drew her own tanto and assumed a ready stance.
They jabbed at her but she parried them easily and counter-attacked. The gleaming blade wove a web of light as she cut and jabbed at the punks, deliberately missing them by millimetres each time. They backed away, eyes bulging in fear, before tripping and falling clumsily.
Kyoko faced another knife-wielder. As he charged fear flashed through her mind for a split-second before her training kicked in. She sidestepped, caught his outstretched wrist and twisted into a circular movement that took him off-balance and sent him to the ground. His head smashed down hard, taking him out of the fight.
Another thug managed to get behind her and threw his thick arms around her in a bear hug. Before he could get a firm hold she crouched slightly and extended her arms outwards. She then took hold of his wrist with her left hand and stepped forwards, rotating her body and using her back as a pivot point. His grip was broken and he was thrown over her shoulder.
Enraged, a third one rushed at her and punched wildly. She dodged, caught his wrist and redirected it, down and then up over her head as she turned around and flipped him to the ground in one smooth motion. Before he could get up she crouched and punched him hard in the stomach. He curled into a foetal position as the siar was driven from his lungs.
The punks had had enough. They painfully dragged themselves up and fled as fast as they could.
Chikane watched them go contemptuously. She turned to Himeko, her expression instantly changing to one of concern. "Are you all right Himeko?"
She didn't reply, instead wrapping her arms around her. Chikane held her gently, stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort into her ear.
After a moment she calmed down. "I'm okay Chikane-chan, Kyoko-san. Thank you both so much for saving me."
"It's okay" said Kyoko.
Chikane kissed her head tenderly. "Come on, let's go."
The girls reported the attack on Himeko and within days the thugs were apprehended, the Himemiyas having devoted their resources to finding the criminals that had attempted violence against their precious child.
The remainder of the visit passed without incident and when it was time for Himeko and Chikane to leave, Kyoko and her friends saw them off.
"Thank you again Kyoko-san" said Himeko.
"You're welcome Himeko-san."
"Hello Kyoko-chan" Ito said happily when she met him the next day.
"Hello Ito-san."
"How have things been while I was away? Did anything happen?"
She smiled coyly. "Oh nothing much."