Inspiration for Blossom's training comes from my own Aikido training, my studies of other martial arts, and, hilariously, all the martial arts movies I've watched.


Complete Concentration

Somewei

"Miyuki, I don't quite understand what's going on," Blossom remarked quickly once Taro had left the room and his granddaughter began leading her out of it. The two were walking along the hallways, in complete silence, the curiosity eating away at Blossom until no end. "I have so many questions that need answering, but no one seems willing to answer them for me!"

"All will be revealed in due course," Miyuki replied cryptically, her voice even and unwavering. She was also making sure she was not facing Blossom nor looking into her eyes. The pink-clad teenager, however, did not seem pleased with the turn of events and abruptly stopped walking. She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at the Japanese girl in front of her. Miyuki noticed and desperately whispered, "Please, you must not question!"

"No, I must question," growled the girl, her glare deepening. "I won't cooperate unless I know what's going on! You won't tell me where my sisters are! If they're alright or alive for that matter! You won't tell me how I got to Japan in the first place! You won't tell me why I need to get trained! This is getting ridiculous! I need to know what's going on here!"

Miyuki rubbed her temples, a growing headache becoming apparent. She struggled with what to say briefly and then muttered to herself, "He said you would be the most difficult one to work with."

The redheaded girl picked up on the sentence due to her sharp hearing and narrowed her eyes. "Who? Who said I would be difficult?"

The Japanese girl noticed her mistake and her face flushed. "No one! Um…e-except for my grandfather! He said that!"

She gave Blossom a meek smile. The redhead knew that Miyuki was hoping that she would accept the lame statement, but she didn't. Miyuki had made several mistakes in her lying, she noted, just through the strain of her voice and her body movements alone. If she had hoped to recover what she said, she would have needed to keep the heat from rising to her face and to keep her voice as even as possible. She also didn't think up a lie quickly enough because her statement had contradicted itself. Her 'grandfather' couldn't possibly be 'no one'. It was then that Blossom realized that Miyuki was a terrible liar as well as the fact she was hiding something.

Her small falter had also given Blossom all that she needed to know. And while her immediate questions had not been answered, the reply that the young Japanese girl had given revealed one major aspect to the recent turn of events: Taro was not acting alone nor was he acting of his own accord. In fact, someone had ordered Taro to train her. And this someone knew exactly how to treat Blossom – by keeping her in the dark and learning about other things to keep her mind off of the current problems. There were only two people who knew how to handle her like that.

Blossom didn't know for sure which person it was, but she knew that she would have to get it out of Miyuki. She had an inkling of how to go about getting information out of her, but knew she would have to be delicate. If she pushed too hard, then she wouldn't get any information out of Taro's granddaughter.

Miyuki, on the other hand, kept praying that Blossom would at least accept her excuse for now. Yet deep down, she knew the redhead didn't and she knew the girl knew that she was lying. Miyuki was instructed to be careful with her words when she was around the pink girl because Blossom was the most perceptive one out of all three girls. In fact, Miyuki could see the various plans formulating in her head through her eyes. Blossom may have skipped out on eleven years worth of education, but she was easily the most naturally intelligent girl she had ever known.

Knowing that Blossom would not relent, Miyuki examined the halls before she said in a rushed whisper, "Follow me back to the room. I'll explain everything there. It's too risky out in the open. I fear an interruption if I explain here and sometimes…the walls have ears."

The curious leader nodded and both girls had quickly gone through the halls, back to the room Blossom had first woken up. As Miyuki kneeled down to shut the sliding doors, Blossom touched the walls and realized the walls were a lot thicker than they let on. The room was soundproof, she noted. Even the doors must be heavy.

Once the doors were shut, Miyuki scanned the room before she moved to the farthest back corner and motioned for Blossom to come to her. She moved to the Asian woman and kneeled down. Miyuki scanned the room once more as Blossom murmured, "Explain everything."

"I can't explain everything just yet, but I can explain what's going on at this moment," the young girl responded in a hushed voice. "After the Rowdyruff Boys att – "

"Who?"

"The Rowdyruff Boys. The three boys who attacked you," explained Miyuki. When she noticed the confused look on Blossom's face, she sighed heavily. "Looks like I'm going to have to explain what happened after you left for wherever you left for."

Blossom nodded as her friend continued, "After you three girls left, the primates moved in swiftly and removed most government figures from office. They stripped them of their titles, homes, and bodyguards. It was quick and brutal. When the primates took over the governments and took down the United Nations, a struggle for dominance and power overcame them. They argued and fought over who would become the supreme leader. For six months, they fought violently, the casualties of humans rising higher than the primates. On top of that, the villains of Townsville, who were silent up until this point in time, had also sought the chance to take over what Mojo Jojo had started.

"But it was Mojo that had finally risen above the rest. He had created three super-powered boys, who called themselves the Rowdyruff Boys. They took down all those who opposed Mojo and dealt with the villains mercilessly. With the help of these three boys, Mojo claimed control over the world. Now, Mojo was the smartest and the strongest of them. He called himself the Supreme Monkey King above all, but gave the major countries to the other monkeys to watch over for him – only those he deemed competent and loyal.

"Knowing that the others would sometimes entertain thoughts of overthrowing him and that human rebellions would begin to take place once the dust settled, he instructed the three boys to, I guess, police for him. They would stop humans in three quick movements and bully the primates who entertained plans to overthrow Mojo. They are every human's worst nightmare."

"But…why couldn't the boys just overthrow Mojo somehow if they were more powerful than he?" Blossom blinked, taking in all this information. That explained all the screaming they had heard all those many years while up on Rocky.

Miyuki shook her head. "We think that Mojo has something to control them. What it is, we don't know, but it's our only plausible explanation. Anyway, eleven years later, you girls fell into a trap set up by Mojo to make you girls think that your Professor Utonium was in danger. He sent the boys after you to kill you, but they didn't quite finish the job because a revolt Iceland started just then. They're so used to killing everyone that they didn't check for a pulse and left. That was their flaw. Instead of killing you, you survived. Badly beaten, but survived. Once the boys finished, my colleagues and I were instructed by Grandfather to bring you here to Japan and have you recuperate from the attack."

"But why? It was my sisters and I who started this mess!" Blossom cried, her guilt suddenly overcoming her. It was their fault. If they hadn't listened to Mojo, none of this would have happened. They probably would have gained the acceptance of the humans and would have lived on in peace. But instead, they got the world into this mess and now the world was helping them heal.

Miyuki smiled sadly. "Not everyone holds a grudge, Blossom. Most humans are taught to forgive."

"But unfortunately that's not always the case," the redhead muttered bitterly, thinking of her supposed father. There was silence between the two girls before she said, "Miyuki, what about you? Why are you living with your grandfather? I don't want to be rude and pry into your personal life, but…"

"Don't worry," the girl murmured softly and shook her head. "My parents had died five years ago. They were leading a rebellion against Mojo and Cha-Ching, Cha-Ching. Both of them fought bravely for our freedom, but it was not enough to defeat the Rowdyruff Boys."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't fret," Miyuki said with a smile upon her face. "I am honored to have such good parents. They fought for my well being and I knew what their intentions were. Constantly mourning for them wouldn't be something they would want. It would almost disgrace their memory because I know they would want me to be happy."

Again, silence enveloped the two girls. With the talk about family, it had brought Blossom up to the next question that had been bugging her for the past two weeks and she hadn't said anything about it up until now. "Where are my sisters? Are they okay?"

"Your sisters are in other parts of Japan and are safe." Blossom sighed out in relief. "We knew you three girls would be easier to track if you were together if suspicion arose you girls were still alive. We had to separate you in order to protect you and to give the illusion that you are dead. The farther away from America and each other, the safer you are."

Blossom leaned back and nodded. "And why train me?"

Miyuki paused, thinking about what she would say next. Again, the thought of being careful with her words sprung to mind. Instead of directly answering her, she gave Blossom a different answer. "You are about to undergo many years worth of learning martial arts in six months. It will be rigorous and exhausting, but we think you can do it."

This time, the redhead narrowed her eyes, never missing a beat. "But why – "

"That's all I can say for now. You will get more information later, but I am already treading on dangerous water by letting you know all that you know now." Miyuki got up an walked over to the door before she stopped and called over her shoulder. "Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a tiring day and it won't do if you're sleeping through most of it."

With that, she walked out of the room and left Blossom to herself. The pink-eyed girl, however, was far from sleepy. In fact, she was analyzing everything that Miyuki had said. Although Taro's granddaughter had been cautious with everything that came out of her mouth, she wasn't cautious enough. Although Blossom still didn't know who was behind everything, she had a pretty good idea of what was in store for herself and her sisters.

And Blossom was also feeling pretty confident that if Miyuki didn't stop talking to her, she would reveal everything to her in 'due course', as the young Japanese girl kept telling her. With a proud smirk on her face and knowledge in her head, Blossom slipped into bed and let exhaustion overcome her.


"Miyuki tell me that you ready," Taro mumbled as he took a sip of his tea. Blossom bowed respectfully and nodded her head. When she had woken up that morning, Miyuki fed her a brisk breakfast before instructing her to go down to the training grounds where Taro was waiting for her. "We work on reflex. You have slow reflex. Make you vulnerable."

Although her pride got in the way and made her slightly offended by the observation, she knew that it was true. When she was going against the red Rowdyruff, she couldn't see what was he doing to her. He was quick and she had no chance to defend herself. So, she listened carefully as Taro briefly went over her training within the next couple of months. They would be working on reflexes, balance, defense, meditation, weapon control and certain things that didn't seem to be martial arts, but Taro insisted that Blossom learn.

So, without further argument, Blossom learned.


The First Month
Reflexes

"You too slow!"

"I can't!" Blossom panted as she pulled her shoulder length hair back into a low ponytail. Her perspiration trailed down her face and back as she placed the palms of her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Tennis balls were strewn about, around her, and bruises were beginning to form on her arms and legs, which wasn't an easy feat. "I can't…"

"You must focus!" Taro yelled at her.

They had been going at it for awhile and Blossom still couldn't catch on to her reflexes exercise. She kept getting hit and hardly had the time to dodge the attacks. "They're going too fast! How can I catch them when I can't even see them? This is ridiculous! This isn't some cartoon or movie where everything happens miraculously and unnaturally!"

Taro sighed. "Yes, but you not natural. You have unnatural power. Use it! Harness it! It will come, it will come!"

"I haven't used my powers in eleven years," Blossom muttered to herself, getting angry now. She stood back up, exhaustion taking over her body. She shook her head and got ready for another round of tennis balls being shot at her at unnatural speeds.

"Blossom, speed is relative! It's only a matter of physics!" Miyuki called over from where she was sitting and observing the training. "You should see more if you don't think about the velocity and acceleration of the object. Use your instincts!"

Blossom nodded and readied herself.


The Second Month
Balance

"Balance is important," Miyuki explained as both her and Taro's sharp eyes watched Blossom focus on the stance that she was currently in. The redheaded girl, he noted, was not centering her weight properly, despite her feet being in the right place. "Not only does it help you walk, but it helps you remain steady and in control in a fight. You loose balance, you loose everything."

Blossom nodded and continued to try to remain in perfect balance. When she stopped struggling and became thought she had balanced her weight, Miyuki came over and lightly pushed the girl, causing the redhead to topple to the ground. Taro shook his head, exasperated and Miyuki giggled. "Your stance was not perfect."

"This is so hard!"

"Yes, but if it was easy, we wouldn't spend time training," the smiling girl said, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. She helped Blossom back into the proper stance and as the redhead focused on balancing her weight, the Japanese girl continued to explain the lesson. "Not only is balance important in a human, it is important in all matters. Balance is important in the way of life. As you know life is full of opposites…"


The Third Month
Defense

"You not have good offense without good defense!" Taro explained. "It important lesson! Young ones learn in games and you must learn now!"

Blossom panted as she tried to block every throw that Miyuki had sent her way. And while she managed to block most because of the reflexes exercises, her defense was still somewhat poor. But Blossom didn't see it immediately until Miyuki got a punch in. Although it didn't hurt, it still caught Blossom off guard. She tumbled and fell on the ground. Once the shock disappeared, she asked, "How'd you do that! I thought I was giving you problems!"

"Even a good defense has a opening," Miyuki smiled. "And a problem is just a misunderstood opportunity."

"Huh?" blinked Blossom.

The Japanese girl smiled. "You need to work on your defense."

"Oh…" mumbled the redhead as she stood up. She scratched the back of her head. "I guess I haven't been utilizing everything that I know, huh?"

"Balance," was all Miyuki said as Taro yelled at them to get into their fighting stances.

"Balance…right," the pink-clad girl muttered as she and Miyuki got into their fighting positions once more. They didn't move for quite sometime, both thinking about how they were going to go about this until both moved at the exact same time and began the dance of offense and defense.


The Fourth Month
Meditation

Blossom growled out in frustration as Miyuki came and bothered her again. It wasn't like this was second or third time Miyuki bugged her while she was trying to find 'peace within'. It was about the eighth time that she had come up to her! It was bad enough that she had messed up on her defense exercises today and couldn't find her balance! She did not need Miyuki bugging her. Getting angry, she finally snapped, "Leave me alone!"

"A calm head, even when angry, is useful," Miyuki frowned right back at Blossom causing the redhead to falter. "What is one of the first few rules we taught you, Blossom?"

The redheaded girl sighed heavily and rubbed her temples, still frustrated but trying to calm herself down. "Never attack out of anger."

Taro's granddaughter nodded. "Yes. You attack out of anger, you loose your calm mind and your concentration. And when you attack with a clouded and angered mind, you loose your balance. You loose your balance, you loose your defense, offense, and reflexes. Being calm is essential to winning and not succumbing to your darker half. Try it again."

And with that, Blossom went back into a lotus position and did her best to loose herself within her mind and ignore everything that Miyuki was doing around her. A calm mind…


The Fifth Month
Weapon Control

Blossom's eyes widened as she passed by every weapon imaginable. Kunai, tonfa, kodachi, katana, shuriken, halberds, chakrams, everything imaginable! The weapon collection was impressive! Even after the six months that she had been here, this collection alone had been the one thing to surprise her. She didn't even know they had a weapons room like this! Blossom almost felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of weapons in the room and she would have to learn how to use them all in one month.

"Though you probably won't use them, my grandfather says that it is important that you are to use all weapons," Miyuki explained as they finally came to the back of the impressive room. "He says it is wise to pick only one weapon type to specialize in. Pick one."

The redhead nodded and began examining each weapon carefully, trying to find the one that that would work with her most. It took about five minutes before she came upon a weapon. They were twin blades and silver in its coloring. Looking at Miyuki, she pointed at them. "These…I want these."

Miyuki nodded. "The sai."


The sixth month had been spent with computers. She had learned to hack into computers, install viruses and even learned to control computer feeds from other computers and set up spy systems. Not only did she work with computers, she learned stealth and disguise. She didn't know what exactly these espionage traits were useful for during a fight, but she had learned to not question Taro and Miyuki.

On the final two days of the sixth month, she had taken tests. The first day was spent with combat. Everything she had learned from offense, defense, balance, meditation and control. And then on the second day, she had been tested on her espionage skills. Secretly breaking into a designated target, installing a spy system on a computer, putting a virus on another and gathering information – all in the quick timeframe of fifteen minutes.

When she was done, Miyuki and Taro had congratulated her on how well she had done. Without realizing it, Blossom had become an ultimate enemy to Mojo and the Rowdyruff boys. She had become everything she was meant to become when she was little and then some. Words could not truly explain who Blossom had become within the seven months she had spent at the Fujiwara Dojo.

She had also been rewarded some new clothes instead of the shabby ones she was used to. The clothes were dominantly black, but with two shades of pink zippers and pockets in the most random places. Miyuki had also given her a matching choker and earrings as a sign of friendship. The earrings were cross-shaped (though not completely) and the choker was black, with the same cross-shaped design dangling from the cloth.

The following morning, Miyuki had shaken Blossom awake and told her to get dressed. The redhead immediately dressed in her new clothes and when she was decent, the Japanese girl came back in and said quickly, "Follow me."

Both girls walked through the halls of the dojo until they came upon the same room that Miyuki had led her to six months ago. There, she found Taro waiting for her. Miyuki handed off a confused Blossom to her grandfather before she bowed respectfully at both and mumbled, "Goodbye, my friend. We shall see each other again. Hopefully sooner than later."

Before Blossom could say anything, Miyuki turned around and left. She looked at Taro and the elderly man had merely nodded at her. He pressed the code into the keypad and when the doors open, two women were revealed, waiting for her. Blossom blinked rapidly, recognizing them from somewhere. One was a tall redhead and the shorter one had short black hair that only went down to her chin. They both smiled and the shorter woman said, "Hello, Blossom. Long time no see."

Blossom titled her head. "Ms. Keane? Ms. Bellum?"

Ms. Bellum nodded. "Welcome back."