~ Arashi ~
Chapter 2 - Tell me...
Everyone's quite worried about you. I know. Why don't you tell them? It's none of their business. Why don't you let me tell them? You'd better not. Why can't I? You'd better not. Why reject their friendship? I like it. It's about time you got over Mifuyu. Don't want to. Why not? That's my problem. I've got things to do. Kindly leave me alone. Fine. Get some rest then.
Tokiya slumped in his couch and massaged his throbbing temples. Kagero-san can be insistent, he let out a rather uncomfortable moan. She was tolerable, yes, but he hated the way she'd appear out of the stupid shadows every now and then. She knew why he was feeling like he'd been run over by a truck every morning. She knew why Tokiya had been rather edgy the past few days. But her visits turned out to be alternating interrogation sessions. Why couldn't everyone leave him alone so he could resume his usual cold self in about a week? No thanks to them, now he'd be in a foul mood all month. He wouldn't have minded talking a wee bit more, but... Oh, it was a bad migraine all right. He couldn't even look to the side without feeling pain. Forget the aspirin, just get to bed. Pulling off the rubber band that bound his hair, Tokiya carelessly removed his coat and left it on the carpeted floor, just before falling into a deep sleep.
Her eyes slowly opened as she woke up to a gentle peck on her cheek. Emerald eyes smiled at her as she yawned.
"Was I asleep long?" she asked.
"Not at all," came her reply, as the young man let the wind caress his face. "Time passed quickly enough just looking at you." He stroked her face with the back of two fingers. He was gentle, as though he feared that it would break at the slightest touch, as though it was his prized possession.
It was a lazy afternoon, only natural that Fuuko should fall asleep, Raiha's lap as a temporary pillow. After all, there was nothing to do, except for spending the afternoon at the park. Recca left for the amusement park with Yanagi and Kaoru, who apparently 'needed a change of environment'.
Hoisting herself up, Fuuko took the liberty to lean against Raiha, who wrapped his arm around her. A sigh from the purple-haired bishonen got Fuuko to sit up and look at him with concern.
"Fuuko...do you remember the day I gave you the Fuujin?" his eyes seemed distant as he stared into the empty space ahead.
"I remember," Fuuko nodded.
"Well I didn't really manage to find out the... relation between our madougu..."
"Which means..."
"Yes, I haven't achieved it. Our yume... it's... incomplete."
"But..does it really matter?"
"Yes."
"Then we'll have to..."
"I'm hoping you'll be in the best condition." He caught sight of Fuuko wringing her hands nervously. Placing a gentle hand on hers, with an assuring squeeze, he asked, "You understand, don't you?"
Fuuko nodded again, a heavy feeling growing in her stomach.
Raiha got to his feet and extended a hand to help Fuuko up.
"Come, it's getting late. I'll walk you home."
The sun was shining orange rays, tinting the white-painted buildings with a bright shade of the colour it shed. In due time it would be dark, and Raiha was only glad to get Fuuko home before the sun retreated to the other side of the earth, afraid to get her parents worried. At her doorstep, he gazed into her loving eyes. Running his hands through her hair, he noticed the orange sun had a mysterious effect on Fuuko's features. It brought out the fire in her eyes, and the natural sheen of her hair. Suddenly she looked more beautiful than ever. Desire took over as he brought their lips together, their tongues entwined with passion. Yet, harboured at the back of his mind, was the fear that it might have been their last.
Raiha reluctantly broke their exchange, which left both quite breathless. He looked at her and reassured, "Everything will turn out fine. I promise." He lifted her chin and placed a light touch on her lips before leaving.
That night, Fuuko tossed and turned, and could hardly get herself into a comfortable position. Him and all his 'yume' crap...did he expect her to buy that? "Our yume is incomplete." Geez, but he was so serious about it. What if she really had to fight him again? What if it went further than just finding out what kills and what doesn't? What if one of them would get carried away? But Raiha wasn't one to lose control. Would that mean she would rage out of whack? Would that mean she would do something she'd regret for life? Fuuko shook every possibility out of her head, reprimanding herself for worrying so much. Plus, Raiha said everything would turn out fine. She'd be wise enough to trust him by now. What was there to worry about? But he wanted her to be the best condition...she made a firm decision to start intense training the day after.
The day dawned too quickly. Mikagami Tokiya needed more sleep - and so he did. He felt a slight tinge of regret for hurling that noisy alarm clock out the window at even noisier birds that perched at his balcony. But he was only human. And he wanted to be extra refreshed to visit Mifuyu that day. The sunlight that poured through his window wasn't helping, either. Tokiya drew up a conclusion that nature was against him that day, as he crawled out of bed to answer nature's call. His hair lay in a slightly tangled mess that made him frown at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He knew at once that he should have just slept with his hair tied. He had the day's plans mapped out in his mind: buy lilies, visit Mifuyu, go home, watch CNN, sleep - and wasn't going to disrupt that for anything. Right. He heavily exhaled as he finally got his hair done. He would have cut it, but long hair reminded him of Mifuyu.
"Oi, Recca!" Fuuko swatted the back of his head with her handy-dandy giant paper fan.
Rubbing the lump that slowly enlarged, Recca scowled. "What was that you hit me with?"
Fuuko grinned, and waved it around, "My handy-dandy giant paper fan! I love these things!" She exclaimed while straightening one of the dog- eared ends.
Recca rolled his eyes and set the blasted thing on fire. "Whaddya want so early in the morning?"
"Where's Domon?"
"You think?"
"With Tsubame?"
"Dumb question."
"Damn, why isn't he ever here when I need him?" Fuuko tapped her foot impatiently, as if Domon would show up any minute.
"Where's Raiha?" Recca looked around for her unofficial 'Siamese twin'.
"Uhm well he had some business to run for Kurei." Fuuko lied through her teeth, fiddling with her nails, knowing that he was probably off training somewhere.
"Oh. Have you seen Hime?"
"No, maybe her chauffeur overslept."
"Maybe...how come you're looking for Domon anyway?"
"Well that's because...I need a training partner."
"EH??" Recca scratched his head. "Fuuko?? Training partner?? The Fuuko who just held me down with three kunai darts yesterday??"
"Yes...I need a training partner. Stop laughing you babo!! I'm serious!" She sent a mild shot of wind in the direction of the temporarily insane flamecaster.
Recca hooted as he crammed his orange cap back on. "Okay, okay. But I can't help you."
"Why not?"
"Because Hime needs my company."
"Great." Fuuko threw her hands up, "Then who else can I go to?"
"Uh...try 'Frosty the Snowman'! He might be of some use!" Recca flashed her a toothy grin, expecting her to send another blast of wind or something.
Fuuko thought...and thought. The corner of her mouth twisted upward into a conniving smirk, and her left eyebrow arched. "You genius!" she exclaimed as she snapped her fingers. "I'm gonna look for Tokiya!" The excited lass spun around and made her way off the roof, down the stairs, through the corridors, and out the gate. Now she had a problem. Do I go left...? Or do I go right? Fuuko glanced back and forth. Bringing her right arm parallel to the ground, she shut her eyes and started spinning. She would follow whatever direction her hand pointed her to - Ah, right.
Now where would Tokiya be? Fuuko scratched her head, looking around. She'd checked out almost every stone quiet place in the district, yet no Tokiya. Her heels dragged along the cement pavement. Looking for the guy was like...looking for a needle in a haystack! Make that a very skinny needle in a very huge haystack. Tired, Fuuko entered her favourite cosy café and ordered a mocha. She chose a seat by the window, looking out at the busy people brisk-walking to and fro. She found her attention drawn to someone with a bright green crop of hair. She could've sworn those were vegetation. Someone in a grey suit sauntered across, disrupting Fuuko's study of the veggie-haired subject, but she quickly got back to staring at the funny person across the street. Wait...grey suit? Sauntering?? Fuuko grabbed her mocha off the table and dashed out the store, going after the person in the grey suit.
"Mi-chan!"
Oh no...Tokiya groaned to himself, why me? Why now? He took his time responding to Fuuko's call, turning around like a defective carousel. He knew it was Fuuko, but seeing the hyperactive...female sort of made things worse. "Kirisawa." He muttered.
"Mi-chan!" Fuuko repeated, smiling as though she'd never done so in her life. "Want a sip?" she held the cup of mocha in front of Tokiya, who frowned and pushed it away with his index finger.
"Will pass."
"Okay...well I'm quite off the hook right now...how 'bout lunch?" Fuuko shifted her weight from one leg to another, licking off the foam that clung to her upper lip.
"What's the catch?" Tokiya folded his arms.
"Huh??"
"You heard me."
"Ehheheh, there's no catch, Mi-chan!" a giant sweat drop formed on her temple as she held her hands up defensively.
"You can't kid me, Kirisawa. What do you want?"
Fuuko chewed on her lower lip. "Well...I need a training partner."
Tokiya looked skeptical. Why should she? She could always train with Raiha. Speaking of which... "Where's...he?"
"Er..." Fuuko grabbed Tokiya's arm and dragged him into the café. "Can we talk about this inside..."
Tokiya took his seat, leaned back, and brought his hands together, his elbows on the armrests. Glaring at Fuuko, he nodded, telling her to state her business.
"See, it's like this. I have the Fuujin now right? And yesterday Raiha told me out of the blue that..."
Tokiya lowered his head and gave a slight nod. He was wasting his CNN time with a tomboy. What a way to disrupt his schedule. He really couldn't care about what Fuuko was trying to tell him. But she droned on all the same...
"...And if I wanna do that I'll need a training partner! So I trust you'll be able to up my standard, Mi-chan. So whaddya say?" She looked to him, a satisfied smirk plastered on her face.
Silence.
Faint sounds of breathing (or snoring) drifted up from beneath the bent head. Fuuko, in annoyance, got up and sent a kick towards her friend's midsection. The kick, however, failed to connect, as Tokiya's instincts woke him up in time to put his guard up, narrowly blocking the blow. "That was downright unnecessary, "Tokiya stated under his breath. "A simple 'good morning' would have been duly appreciated." He patted the dust off his coat. Noticing Fuuko's annoyed gaze, he sighed. "I assume this is important?"
"I just frick'n explained the whole thing to you! Don't tell me you've been sleeping your way through, because then I won't be happy." Fuuko knocked her knuckles on the table as Tokiya motioned for her to sit down; catching surprised glances from people at nearby tables.
"Okay, so I wasn't listening." He shrugged, gesturing for her to repeat herself. Before she could speak, Tokiya held his hand out. "Encapsulated version please."
Fuuko rolled her eyes. "I need a training partner because Raiha wants to find out ..."
"Which of your madougu is for killing." Tokiya looked straight at her. "Well that can be expected. It's Raiha." He began pondering out loud.
"Yes, so I'm asking you if you could - "
"Be your training partner."
"Since everyone else is unavailable." Fuuko finished.
"Do I have an option? If it's a request, I have every right to refuse, do I not?"
"Please, Mi-chan. I desperately need someone to train with!" Fuuko gripped the edge of the table.
She seemed desperate enough, Tokiya thought. On the bright side, it could be an opportunity to brush up his own combat skills. "Fine, when do we start?" he heaved his shoulders.
"Today?" Fuuko clasped her hands together.
"Today??" his eyes widened.
"I only have up to Saturday," she twiddled her thumbs. "That's four more days."
But Mifuyu...Tokiya pulled back, four days? But what was that feeling telling him to go ahead? Taking that as a sign to follow his instincts, Tokiya got up and proceeded out the place.
"H-hey! Where are you heading off to??" Fuuko ran after him.
"You want to train, yes or no?"
"I'll treat you once it's over!"
Fuuko smiled big, and followed him to the woody park due northeast. Watch it Raiha, she grinned, I'll show you. I'll be in the best condition you'll ever find me in.
***
Day One: The massive oak collapsed after the blast from the Fuujin cut a cross into its trunk.
"Too slow, Kirisawa!" Tokiya told her, after he'd evaded that last blow.
"I can see that, Mikagami!" Fuuko manipulated the air currents that lifted her off the ground. Delivering another blast, she hit another tree after Tokiya gracefully moved out of the way. God, even Recca couldn't have avoided that! Fuuko grit her teeth.
Day Two: "Getting better, but I can still avoid it." Landing like a cat behind Fuuko, Tokiya pointed the ensui at her spine. Fuuko had managed to get her shots straight to Tokiya, only to have them either hitting trees or defended against. Tokiya sighed.
"You are improving, Fuuko. But you need to work on your speed. And those kunai darts aren't with you for show, you know. Use them."
"But what if I - " Fuuko turned around, panting. Her shirt was soaking, and Tokiya was still...taking it cool, much to her unbelief.
"You can't get one of those within three meters radius of me," he replied dryly.
"Wanna bet?" she gritted her teeth as she sprung from her position, determined to get at least one of them through his forehead.
He'd been criticizing her movements and commenting on her offence...it was driving her up the wall.
Day Three: "Is it just me or are you slacking?" Fuuko smirked, as Tokiya barely made it past her Claw of Wind. Beads of perspiration had formed upon his forehead. Sweat! Fuuko's heart rejoiced. That's a good sign!
"Che." Tokiya snorted, "Oh, how you underestimate me, Kirisawa." Mist emitted from the ensui, shrouding the area in a heavy fog. It would be hard for Fuuko to anticipate his next move - quite impossible, to be precise.
Fuuko cursed, and grew tense. Training with Tokiya had taught her to be even more sharp and precise than ever. Her senses were aware of the slightest movement or the faintest - a shadow! There! Fuuko shot the claws towards the startling image. No... just a leaf. It was difficult to make out each silhouette because of the mist. Damn that Mikagami. He was coming, and she could feel it. Just a little more...Fuuko jumped back, and sent the claws flying, not caring whether Tokiya would get pierced or not. Besides, what was Yanagi for? They penetrated the figure, and the ensui wielder fell to the floor...or at least...it was Tokiya. It wasn't. Just a pathetic puddle of water.
"Kuso..." Fuuko muttered, as her training partner held her chin up from behind, the ensui threatening to send blood gushing out a slit in her neck that he would create in a matter of seconds.
"We'll have to work on that." Tokiya let her go almost at once. If there was one girl he could stand being that close to was Mifuyu. Pity, Fuuko wasn't Mifuyu. Mifuyu wasn't a tomboy. "Get ready," he said, as the ensui repeated it's former technique.
Day Four: Close...closer...Fuuko eliminated the illusion and darted out of the ensui's attack range. She was quickly getting better, Tokiya had to admit. But despite training together for that 'long' a time, he still wasn't accustomed to fighting a female. There were so many restrictions! He had to hold back as much as possible. Kami-sama bless Raiha...he prayed at the back of his mind. A painful force hit him in the abdomen, and the taste of blood was easily distinguished in his mouth. His blood. Damn, that girl was strong. He knelt on one knee, clutching his stomach. The ensui was driven deep into the ground.
"Oh shoot..." Fuuko ran to Tokiya, immediately chiding herself for getting carried away. "Daijoubu...? Mi-chan?"
Tokiya nodded, and wiped a deep red drop that managed its way out the corner of his mouth.
"Doesn't look like it," Fuuko commented in slight disgust. "I think you'd better go home."
Yes! Thank the stars! Tokiya silently got to his feet and left, pushing Fuuko away.
***
Oh God, oh God, oh God...Fuuko paced up and down the living room in front of the telephone. She hoped Tokiya was okay. It wasn't Recca getting burned to death by Kurenai, it wasn't Domon having his face smashed by Noroi, but it was still bad. Hello, we're talking ice-boy here; she rubbed the back of her neck. Oh what the hell. Fuuko picked up the phone and dialed Tokiya's number. Until someone picked up on the other line, Fuuko was busy rehearsing how to apologize.
"Mi-chan? Hey, how's the gut?" No...she shook her head and stuck out her tongue. What about, "Hey, sorry about the kick." No, not good either. Or not...
"Mikagami speaking." The monotone voice came smoothly through the ear piece.
"Uh, hi Mi-chan!" Fuuko grinned. She could have sworn she heard a sigh of dismay coming after that sentence.
"...Hi"
"So..."
"I'm fine, thanks for asking."
"That's great, but..."
"You are forgiven."
"Whoever said..."
"It's quite obvious."
"Oh."
"Anything else?"
Fuuko bit her lip. She wanted to apologize properly - not have Tokiya do all the finishing. Why'd he have to be so difficult? The snob. It was so hard to carry a conversation.
"Uh...I was just wondering...if there are any last minute pointers you'd like to have me know about?"
"Are you trying to start a conversation here or something?" Tokiya smirked.
"No, I just want to make sure I'm in tip-top condition when I face Raiha tomorrow."
"Sure."
"I'm serious!"
"Fine. Well first of all, when you..."
Fuuko had never seen - or heard Tokiya talk so much at once. It was useful information, and Fuuko enjoyed conversing with him. He made so much sense! And he understood so much! No doubt to why he was labeled as a prodigy. She even managed to get him to talk about his opinion concerning Domon's style of fighting, which he criticized to the extremes. It amused her. People found him to be even-tempered, cold, reserved, hardly a brilliant conversationalist and one who kept to himself - but Fuuko had seen something others did not.
Tokiya, on the other hand, found Fuuko to be even less annoying than usual. Her questions hit his funnybone slightly. She sounded like little Hana at the flower shop. Purely, he was enjoying the conversation too.
"...And that about covers up everything...I should think. Any more...inquiries?"
"Well yeah. One more."
"Which is?"
"I'm kinda nervous."
"Who wouldn't be?"
"You get nervous??" Fuuko stopped drawing circles on the floorboard.
"...Is it that surprising...?"
"Uh.yes? Why?"
"We'll talk about that next time."
"Well, what happens if I hurt Raiha?"
"Yanagi will do something about it."
"But if I injure him bad and I mean really bad..."
"Then he'll die. I have to go." Tokiya drummed his fingers on the table. The news was coming on and he didn't want to miss any of it.
"How can you be so pessimistic?? I'm not looking forward to killing anyone through this."
"I trust training with me would have strengthened you enough as to refrain from killing someone. Now if you'll excuse me, I have CNN to catch. Have fun." He hung up. Fuuko scowled and slammed the receiver down. Tokiya was one guy she'd never understand. Have fun?? God, what was his definition of fun anyhow? Blood spewing from a person's chest? Geez...
- author's rambling -
oh yes, very original. And don't ask me about the corny title. can't even remember where I got it. Lolz. But anyhow. Now I'm stuck, coz when it comes to fighting scenes, I simply suck... T.T;; so this is where all my fellow readers come in - any ideas?? Fuuko and Raiha just have to fight... yup. But til then~ jaa!! ^^;;
Chapter 2 - Tell me...
Everyone's quite worried about you. I know. Why don't you tell them? It's none of their business. Why don't you let me tell them? You'd better not. Why can't I? You'd better not. Why reject their friendship? I like it. It's about time you got over Mifuyu. Don't want to. Why not? That's my problem. I've got things to do. Kindly leave me alone. Fine. Get some rest then.
Tokiya slumped in his couch and massaged his throbbing temples. Kagero-san can be insistent, he let out a rather uncomfortable moan. She was tolerable, yes, but he hated the way she'd appear out of the stupid shadows every now and then. She knew why he was feeling like he'd been run over by a truck every morning. She knew why Tokiya had been rather edgy the past few days. But her visits turned out to be alternating interrogation sessions. Why couldn't everyone leave him alone so he could resume his usual cold self in about a week? No thanks to them, now he'd be in a foul mood all month. He wouldn't have minded talking a wee bit more, but... Oh, it was a bad migraine all right. He couldn't even look to the side without feeling pain. Forget the aspirin, just get to bed. Pulling off the rubber band that bound his hair, Tokiya carelessly removed his coat and left it on the carpeted floor, just before falling into a deep sleep.
Her eyes slowly opened as she woke up to a gentle peck on her cheek. Emerald eyes smiled at her as she yawned.
"Was I asleep long?" she asked.
"Not at all," came her reply, as the young man let the wind caress his face. "Time passed quickly enough just looking at you." He stroked her face with the back of two fingers. He was gentle, as though he feared that it would break at the slightest touch, as though it was his prized possession.
It was a lazy afternoon, only natural that Fuuko should fall asleep, Raiha's lap as a temporary pillow. After all, there was nothing to do, except for spending the afternoon at the park. Recca left for the amusement park with Yanagi and Kaoru, who apparently 'needed a change of environment'.
Hoisting herself up, Fuuko took the liberty to lean against Raiha, who wrapped his arm around her. A sigh from the purple-haired bishonen got Fuuko to sit up and look at him with concern.
"Fuuko...do you remember the day I gave you the Fuujin?" his eyes seemed distant as he stared into the empty space ahead.
"I remember," Fuuko nodded.
"Well I didn't really manage to find out the... relation between our madougu..."
"Which means..."
"Yes, I haven't achieved it. Our yume... it's... incomplete."
"But..does it really matter?"
"Yes."
"Then we'll have to..."
"I'm hoping you'll be in the best condition." He caught sight of Fuuko wringing her hands nervously. Placing a gentle hand on hers, with an assuring squeeze, he asked, "You understand, don't you?"
Fuuko nodded again, a heavy feeling growing in her stomach.
Raiha got to his feet and extended a hand to help Fuuko up.
"Come, it's getting late. I'll walk you home."
The sun was shining orange rays, tinting the white-painted buildings with a bright shade of the colour it shed. In due time it would be dark, and Raiha was only glad to get Fuuko home before the sun retreated to the other side of the earth, afraid to get her parents worried. At her doorstep, he gazed into her loving eyes. Running his hands through her hair, he noticed the orange sun had a mysterious effect on Fuuko's features. It brought out the fire in her eyes, and the natural sheen of her hair. Suddenly she looked more beautiful than ever. Desire took over as he brought their lips together, their tongues entwined with passion. Yet, harboured at the back of his mind, was the fear that it might have been their last.
Raiha reluctantly broke their exchange, which left both quite breathless. He looked at her and reassured, "Everything will turn out fine. I promise." He lifted her chin and placed a light touch on her lips before leaving.
That night, Fuuko tossed and turned, and could hardly get herself into a comfortable position. Him and all his 'yume' crap...did he expect her to buy that? "Our yume is incomplete." Geez, but he was so serious about it. What if she really had to fight him again? What if it went further than just finding out what kills and what doesn't? What if one of them would get carried away? But Raiha wasn't one to lose control. Would that mean she would rage out of whack? Would that mean she would do something she'd regret for life? Fuuko shook every possibility out of her head, reprimanding herself for worrying so much. Plus, Raiha said everything would turn out fine. She'd be wise enough to trust him by now. What was there to worry about? But he wanted her to be the best condition...she made a firm decision to start intense training the day after.
The day dawned too quickly. Mikagami Tokiya needed more sleep - and so he did. He felt a slight tinge of regret for hurling that noisy alarm clock out the window at even noisier birds that perched at his balcony. But he was only human. And he wanted to be extra refreshed to visit Mifuyu that day. The sunlight that poured through his window wasn't helping, either. Tokiya drew up a conclusion that nature was against him that day, as he crawled out of bed to answer nature's call. His hair lay in a slightly tangled mess that made him frown at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He knew at once that he should have just slept with his hair tied. He had the day's plans mapped out in his mind: buy lilies, visit Mifuyu, go home, watch CNN, sleep - and wasn't going to disrupt that for anything. Right. He heavily exhaled as he finally got his hair done. He would have cut it, but long hair reminded him of Mifuyu.
"Oi, Recca!" Fuuko swatted the back of his head with her handy-dandy giant paper fan.
Rubbing the lump that slowly enlarged, Recca scowled. "What was that you hit me with?"
Fuuko grinned, and waved it around, "My handy-dandy giant paper fan! I love these things!" She exclaimed while straightening one of the dog- eared ends.
Recca rolled his eyes and set the blasted thing on fire. "Whaddya want so early in the morning?"
"Where's Domon?"
"You think?"
"With Tsubame?"
"Dumb question."
"Damn, why isn't he ever here when I need him?" Fuuko tapped her foot impatiently, as if Domon would show up any minute.
"Where's Raiha?" Recca looked around for her unofficial 'Siamese twin'.
"Uhm well he had some business to run for Kurei." Fuuko lied through her teeth, fiddling with her nails, knowing that he was probably off training somewhere.
"Oh. Have you seen Hime?"
"No, maybe her chauffeur overslept."
"Maybe...how come you're looking for Domon anyway?"
"Well that's because...I need a training partner."
"EH??" Recca scratched his head. "Fuuko?? Training partner?? The Fuuko who just held me down with three kunai darts yesterday??"
"Yes...I need a training partner. Stop laughing you babo!! I'm serious!" She sent a mild shot of wind in the direction of the temporarily insane flamecaster.
Recca hooted as he crammed his orange cap back on. "Okay, okay. But I can't help you."
"Why not?"
"Because Hime needs my company."
"Great." Fuuko threw her hands up, "Then who else can I go to?"
"Uh...try 'Frosty the Snowman'! He might be of some use!" Recca flashed her a toothy grin, expecting her to send another blast of wind or something.
Fuuko thought...and thought. The corner of her mouth twisted upward into a conniving smirk, and her left eyebrow arched. "You genius!" she exclaimed as she snapped her fingers. "I'm gonna look for Tokiya!" The excited lass spun around and made her way off the roof, down the stairs, through the corridors, and out the gate. Now she had a problem. Do I go left...? Or do I go right? Fuuko glanced back and forth. Bringing her right arm parallel to the ground, she shut her eyes and started spinning. She would follow whatever direction her hand pointed her to - Ah, right.
Now where would Tokiya be? Fuuko scratched her head, looking around. She'd checked out almost every stone quiet place in the district, yet no Tokiya. Her heels dragged along the cement pavement. Looking for the guy was like...looking for a needle in a haystack! Make that a very skinny needle in a very huge haystack. Tired, Fuuko entered her favourite cosy café and ordered a mocha. She chose a seat by the window, looking out at the busy people brisk-walking to and fro. She found her attention drawn to someone with a bright green crop of hair. She could've sworn those were vegetation. Someone in a grey suit sauntered across, disrupting Fuuko's study of the veggie-haired subject, but she quickly got back to staring at the funny person across the street. Wait...grey suit? Sauntering?? Fuuko grabbed her mocha off the table and dashed out the store, going after the person in the grey suit.
"Mi-chan!"
Oh no...Tokiya groaned to himself, why me? Why now? He took his time responding to Fuuko's call, turning around like a defective carousel. He knew it was Fuuko, but seeing the hyperactive...female sort of made things worse. "Kirisawa." He muttered.
"Mi-chan!" Fuuko repeated, smiling as though she'd never done so in her life. "Want a sip?" she held the cup of mocha in front of Tokiya, who frowned and pushed it away with his index finger.
"Will pass."
"Okay...well I'm quite off the hook right now...how 'bout lunch?" Fuuko shifted her weight from one leg to another, licking off the foam that clung to her upper lip.
"What's the catch?" Tokiya folded his arms.
"Huh??"
"You heard me."
"Ehheheh, there's no catch, Mi-chan!" a giant sweat drop formed on her temple as she held her hands up defensively.
"You can't kid me, Kirisawa. What do you want?"
Fuuko chewed on her lower lip. "Well...I need a training partner."
Tokiya looked skeptical. Why should she? She could always train with Raiha. Speaking of which... "Where's...he?"
"Er..." Fuuko grabbed Tokiya's arm and dragged him into the café. "Can we talk about this inside..."
Tokiya took his seat, leaned back, and brought his hands together, his elbows on the armrests. Glaring at Fuuko, he nodded, telling her to state her business.
"See, it's like this. I have the Fuujin now right? And yesterday Raiha told me out of the blue that..."
Tokiya lowered his head and gave a slight nod. He was wasting his CNN time with a tomboy. What a way to disrupt his schedule. He really couldn't care about what Fuuko was trying to tell him. But she droned on all the same...
"...And if I wanna do that I'll need a training partner! So I trust you'll be able to up my standard, Mi-chan. So whaddya say?" She looked to him, a satisfied smirk plastered on her face.
Silence.
Faint sounds of breathing (or snoring) drifted up from beneath the bent head. Fuuko, in annoyance, got up and sent a kick towards her friend's midsection. The kick, however, failed to connect, as Tokiya's instincts woke him up in time to put his guard up, narrowly blocking the blow. "That was downright unnecessary, "Tokiya stated under his breath. "A simple 'good morning' would have been duly appreciated." He patted the dust off his coat. Noticing Fuuko's annoyed gaze, he sighed. "I assume this is important?"
"I just frick'n explained the whole thing to you! Don't tell me you've been sleeping your way through, because then I won't be happy." Fuuko knocked her knuckles on the table as Tokiya motioned for her to sit down; catching surprised glances from people at nearby tables.
"Okay, so I wasn't listening." He shrugged, gesturing for her to repeat herself. Before she could speak, Tokiya held his hand out. "Encapsulated version please."
Fuuko rolled her eyes. "I need a training partner because Raiha wants to find out ..."
"Which of your madougu is for killing." Tokiya looked straight at her. "Well that can be expected. It's Raiha." He began pondering out loud.
"Yes, so I'm asking you if you could - "
"Be your training partner."
"Since everyone else is unavailable." Fuuko finished.
"Do I have an option? If it's a request, I have every right to refuse, do I not?"
"Please, Mi-chan. I desperately need someone to train with!" Fuuko gripped the edge of the table.
She seemed desperate enough, Tokiya thought. On the bright side, it could be an opportunity to brush up his own combat skills. "Fine, when do we start?" he heaved his shoulders.
"Today?" Fuuko clasped her hands together.
"Today??" his eyes widened.
"I only have up to Saturday," she twiddled her thumbs. "That's four more days."
But Mifuyu...Tokiya pulled back, four days? But what was that feeling telling him to go ahead? Taking that as a sign to follow his instincts, Tokiya got up and proceeded out the place.
"H-hey! Where are you heading off to??" Fuuko ran after him.
"You want to train, yes or no?"
"I'll treat you once it's over!"
Fuuko smiled big, and followed him to the woody park due northeast. Watch it Raiha, she grinned, I'll show you. I'll be in the best condition you'll ever find me in.
***
Day One: The massive oak collapsed after the blast from the Fuujin cut a cross into its trunk.
"Too slow, Kirisawa!" Tokiya told her, after he'd evaded that last blow.
"I can see that, Mikagami!" Fuuko manipulated the air currents that lifted her off the ground. Delivering another blast, she hit another tree after Tokiya gracefully moved out of the way. God, even Recca couldn't have avoided that! Fuuko grit her teeth.
Day Two: "Getting better, but I can still avoid it." Landing like a cat behind Fuuko, Tokiya pointed the ensui at her spine. Fuuko had managed to get her shots straight to Tokiya, only to have them either hitting trees or defended against. Tokiya sighed.
"You are improving, Fuuko. But you need to work on your speed. And those kunai darts aren't with you for show, you know. Use them."
"But what if I - " Fuuko turned around, panting. Her shirt was soaking, and Tokiya was still...taking it cool, much to her unbelief.
"You can't get one of those within three meters radius of me," he replied dryly.
"Wanna bet?" she gritted her teeth as she sprung from her position, determined to get at least one of them through his forehead.
He'd been criticizing her movements and commenting on her offence...it was driving her up the wall.
Day Three: "Is it just me or are you slacking?" Fuuko smirked, as Tokiya barely made it past her Claw of Wind. Beads of perspiration had formed upon his forehead. Sweat! Fuuko's heart rejoiced. That's a good sign!
"Che." Tokiya snorted, "Oh, how you underestimate me, Kirisawa." Mist emitted from the ensui, shrouding the area in a heavy fog. It would be hard for Fuuko to anticipate his next move - quite impossible, to be precise.
Fuuko cursed, and grew tense. Training with Tokiya had taught her to be even more sharp and precise than ever. Her senses were aware of the slightest movement or the faintest - a shadow! There! Fuuko shot the claws towards the startling image. No... just a leaf. It was difficult to make out each silhouette because of the mist. Damn that Mikagami. He was coming, and she could feel it. Just a little more...Fuuko jumped back, and sent the claws flying, not caring whether Tokiya would get pierced or not. Besides, what was Yanagi for? They penetrated the figure, and the ensui wielder fell to the floor...or at least...it was Tokiya. It wasn't. Just a pathetic puddle of water.
"Kuso..." Fuuko muttered, as her training partner held her chin up from behind, the ensui threatening to send blood gushing out a slit in her neck that he would create in a matter of seconds.
"We'll have to work on that." Tokiya let her go almost at once. If there was one girl he could stand being that close to was Mifuyu. Pity, Fuuko wasn't Mifuyu. Mifuyu wasn't a tomboy. "Get ready," he said, as the ensui repeated it's former technique.
Day Four: Close...closer...Fuuko eliminated the illusion and darted out of the ensui's attack range. She was quickly getting better, Tokiya had to admit. But despite training together for that 'long' a time, he still wasn't accustomed to fighting a female. There were so many restrictions! He had to hold back as much as possible. Kami-sama bless Raiha...he prayed at the back of his mind. A painful force hit him in the abdomen, and the taste of blood was easily distinguished in his mouth. His blood. Damn, that girl was strong. He knelt on one knee, clutching his stomach. The ensui was driven deep into the ground.
"Oh shoot..." Fuuko ran to Tokiya, immediately chiding herself for getting carried away. "Daijoubu...? Mi-chan?"
Tokiya nodded, and wiped a deep red drop that managed its way out the corner of his mouth.
"Doesn't look like it," Fuuko commented in slight disgust. "I think you'd better go home."
Yes! Thank the stars! Tokiya silently got to his feet and left, pushing Fuuko away.
***
Oh God, oh God, oh God...Fuuko paced up and down the living room in front of the telephone. She hoped Tokiya was okay. It wasn't Recca getting burned to death by Kurenai, it wasn't Domon having his face smashed by Noroi, but it was still bad. Hello, we're talking ice-boy here; she rubbed the back of her neck. Oh what the hell. Fuuko picked up the phone and dialed Tokiya's number. Until someone picked up on the other line, Fuuko was busy rehearsing how to apologize.
"Mi-chan? Hey, how's the gut?" No...she shook her head and stuck out her tongue. What about, "Hey, sorry about the kick." No, not good either. Or not...
"Mikagami speaking." The monotone voice came smoothly through the ear piece.
"Uh, hi Mi-chan!" Fuuko grinned. She could have sworn she heard a sigh of dismay coming after that sentence.
"...Hi"
"So..."
"I'm fine, thanks for asking."
"That's great, but..."
"You are forgiven."
"Whoever said..."
"It's quite obvious."
"Oh."
"Anything else?"
Fuuko bit her lip. She wanted to apologize properly - not have Tokiya do all the finishing. Why'd he have to be so difficult? The snob. It was so hard to carry a conversation.
"Uh...I was just wondering...if there are any last minute pointers you'd like to have me know about?"
"Are you trying to start a conversation here or something?" Tokiya smirked.
"No, I just want to make sure I'm in tip-top condition when I face Raiha tomorrow."
"Sure."
"I'm serious!"
"Fine. Well first of all, when you..."
Fuuko had never seen - or heard Tokiya talk so much at once. It was useful information, and Fuuko enjoyed conversing with him. He made so much sense! And he understood so much! No doubt to why he was labeled as a prodigy. She even managed to get him to talk about his opinion concerning Domon's style of fighting, which he criticized to the extremes. It amused her. People found him to be even-tempered, cold, reserved, hardly a brilliant conversationalist and one who kept to himself - but Fuuko had seen something others did not.
Tokiya, on the other hand, found Fuuko to be even less annoying than usual. Her questions hit his funnybone slightly. She sounded like little Hana at the flower shop. Purely, he was enjoying the conversation too.
"...And that about covers up everything...I should think. Any more...inquiries?"
"Well yeah. One more."
"Which is?"
"I'm kinda nervous."
"Who wouldn't be?"
"You get nervous??" Fuuko stopped drawing circles on the floorboard.
"...Is it that surprising...?"
"Uh.yes? Why?"
"We'll talk about that next time."
"Well, what happens if I hurt Raiha?"
"Yanagi will do something about it."
"But if I injure him bad and I mean really bad..."
"Then he'll die. I have to go." Tokiya drummed his fingers on the table. The news was coming on and he didn't want to miss any of it.
"How can you be so pessimistic?? I'm not looking forward to killing anyone through this."
"I trust training with me would have strengthened you enough as to refrain from killing someone. Now if you'll excuse me, I have CNN to catch. Have fun." He hung up. Fuuko scowled and slammed the receiver down. Tokiya was one guy she'd never understand. Have fun?? God, what was his definition of fun anyhow? Blood spewing from a person's chest? Geez...
- author's rambling -
oh yes, very original. And don't ask me about the corny title. can't even remember where I got it. Lolz. But anyhow. Now I'm stuck, coz when it comes to fighting scenes, I simply suck... T.T;; so this is where all my fellow readers come in - any ideas?? Fuuko and Raiha just have to fight... yup. But til then~ jaa!! ^^;;