Chapter 6
Don't get me wrong now. I'd been looking forward to Friday's optional free-fighting period ever since I heard about it, more since Koji's jab at me on the second day of class. He didn't know who he was talking down to. I'd show him.
Well, okay. Third years were allowed to use real swords in practice, so they weren't going to fight us. And there was no way I was about to challenge him, and get my flimsy little borrowed bokken cut in half.
I could have beat him on even ground, of course. It's not my fault 3rd years are given more freedoms than us freshmen.
Anyway, my point is, he said I couldn't beat his little favorite, Akemi. And so I had to beat her in order to prove him wrong. And more importantly, prove myself right.
So I'd been looking forward to the free-fighting period. There was only one problem.
It was really early in the morning.
On a Friday.
And it was optional.
The result was, by the time I woke up, threw on my uniform and rushed into the main courtyard without even bothering to brush my hair, most of the others who had planned to show up were already paired up and well through several matches. I grabbed a bokken from the sword racks and searched through the crowds around me for the other first-years. I found them, on the opposite side of the courtyard. A few 4th years were watching over no more than ten individual matches, each of which had a small crowd gathered around it.
I sidled up to Hiroki and Kaede, who were watching Hideki take on an unfamiliar 1st year boy in a singularly dull match. Neither fighter even twitched, silently sizing each other up, and so I didn't bother to watch.
"What's the deal? Why isn't everyone fighting?"
"At once?" Kaede looked at me like I was nuts. "And good gods, Taiki, your hair is…"
"Hideous?" Hiroki supplied.
"I just woke up like three minutes ago, how was I supposed to have time to – you know what, never mind." I looked back at Kaede. "What do you mean? It's free fighting. I thought everyone would fight at once."
Kaede shook her head and looked exasperated, so I figured I must have said something stupid. "There may be a lot of space in the courtyard, Taiki, but there isn't that much. With all these practice swords, and real swords, being swung around – one of the teachers even released a soul slayer earlier! Can you imagine if everyone here was doing it all at once?"
"Who released a slayer? Aw man, I missed it!"
Hideki's match was declared over. I didn't see what happened, and I couldn't have cared less. They probably stared each other into mutual submission. Hiroki motioned to Kaede, and they took up the empty space and pulled up their bokken into ready position.
I fidgeted uneasily and scanned the crowd around me. Especially with the crowds the way they were, it was hard to find any one person in particular.
Hideki stepped in next to me, watching his brother and Kaede fight even as he spoke to me. They were a slightly more lively pair, but I didn't bother to watch.
"What's up with you?" he asked, eyes still on the match. "You're late, you're antsy, and your hair looks like a pair of birds made a nest in it."
"It's not that bad. Have you seen Akemi?"
"The Sayuri clan girl?" Hideki turned to look at me. I expected him to ask how he was supposed to know, but instead he pointed over my shoulder. I turned to follow his finger, and a few small groups away saw one with a crowd that was particularly full. "She's over there. She and Raiko-san were practicing earlier, but some strange looking glasses girl barged in and it caused a huge fuss. They were fighting even before I went out, but it looked to me like Sayuri-sama was just going easy so she didn't hurt the girl…was kinda pathetic really. That's why I left to go a round."
Before he had even finished I was halfway the distance to Akemi's group, and I pushed my way through the surrounding crowd in just enough time to see a plum-haired, glasses-wearing, very angry looking girl laying on the ground, Akemi's bokken pointed directly at her throat. The girl on the ground was struggling to find a way to get up without getting "impaled."
"I'm not done yet! Stop using such cheap tricks and fight me for real!"
Akemi sighed. "Look, I don't know exactly what your problem with me is, but I really have no desire to injure you, so I'd rather you just stopped before something happens on accident…I don't know many more moves than you, after all…"
"What?" the girl on the floor screeched. "You dare imply you know more than me?"
But she still couldn't move without Akemi's bokken pressing dangerously into her throat, and finally one of the 4th year moderators stepped in.
"What's going on over here? Honestly, you two still?" he said when he saw them. "Give it a rest and let someone else have a chance, would you?"
"That's what I've been trying to," Akemi started, but before either the moderator or Ground Girl could cut her off, I did.
"I want a go, first," I said, stepping into the circle and brandishing my bokken.
The 4th year rolled his eyes but, as shouting ensued from a couple of groups over, seemed to decide that things were under control in our group and left us on our own.
Akemi took a step back from the girl she'd been fighting, letting her sword arm drop to her side, although her muscles told me she was still at the ready. Her erstwhile opponent took the opportunity to quickly stand, brush herself off, shoot an indignant look at us both, but then steal away as quickly and quietly as possible.
Akemi's eyes narrowed at me, as if she wondered if I really meant the challenge, but she fell into an attack position, both hands gripped around her bokken handle in front of her. "Sure. If you want. But we should give the others a turn soon."
"It won't take long."
Akemi said nothing, only watched me, so I charged.
Akemi raised her bokken to block the downward cut to her head that I was obviously planning, but I stepped to her left and swung around to her venerable back. Just before I hit, she spun to face me, rotated her sword tip downward to block mine and knocked it out of the way.
Before I could recover, she swung down at my head. I didn't have time to block; I could only dodge as quickly as possible to my left. The blow glanced off my right shoulder – it would leave a mark, but I managed to escape the worst of it.
We both took a step back, out of range, to catch our breath and reassess.
"You're pretty good," Akemi said, narrowed eyes and slight grin aimed at me in an almost hungry expression – she was enjoying this!
"You're not half bad yourself," I said, not returning her smile. "But you can't beat me."
An even larger crowd had gathered around us. Kaede and Hiroki had even stopped their match to come watch; I could see them out of the corner of my eye.
Akemi didn't respond, waiting and watching me as if she didn't even hear me, or any of the others, only saw. Only saw my sword and my motions.
Impatient, I moved in, assaulting Akemi with every strike we had learned so far in varying order. Akemi parried every one, not even moving her stance. A good 10 hits later, I still hadn't landed a single blow, but she hadn't retaliated after any of the blocks either.
Finally, as she dropped back a half-step and drew back her sword to attack with a cut to my left side, I saw my opening. The head. Her sword was nowhere near it.
I swung downward.
Before I could even gauge what happened, her bokken had swept upward and across in an arc, knocking my own off to my right, stronger than I would have thought possible. I didn't have a chance to recover it; her sword swept back towards my right kidney, completing the arc. At the same time, her opposite leg swept under my feet from the left. The opposing forces knocked me clean on my back, and before I could scramble to my feet, Akemi shifted the bokken around in her hands and plunged it tip-first right at my face.
I flinched, but the tip only rapped me lightly on the nose.
The crowd cheered, and I opened my eyes to see the tip of the bokken still staring me in the face. Once Akemi seemed sure I wasn't going to try some idiotic retaliation – and, let's face it, even I'm not stupid enough to attack with a sword point in my face – she pulled back the bokken and offered me a hand instead.
"Nice match."
I didn't take it, climbing to my feet on my own instead. "What was that? It was totally unfair, we never learned that in class!"
"Koji-sempai taught me," she said, threading her bokken through her uniform belt to let it hang and standing tall. "Of course it would be useless with a real sword, since the first swipe would cut you in half, but Sempai said it might be useful in here."
Koji. That red-haired boy. He'd pay.
…someday.
I just stared at Akemi, seething, hoping I'd made very clear that she was a cheater, and that's the only way she could possibly beat me.
But several kids from both freshman classes had swarmed around her, asking questions, demanding she teach them the move. Even a few of the 4th years looking on nodded in approval.
Disgusted, I turned to walk off, no longer in the mood for free fighting.
I definitely wasn't impressed by her skill. I could beat that any day. I'd just gone easy on her. That's right.
Before I got far, Akemi's hand caught my shoulder and turned me around to face her.
"It was a good fight. We should…you know…do it again sometime. It would be good training."
"Don't you get it?" I said, brushing her hand away from me. "This isn't about training! It's about who's stronger, and who's right."
Akemi let her hands hang at her sides, shrugging slightly, but not looking nearly as apologetic as the last time we'd spoken. She shook her head a little, shrugged again. "Look, I already told you I was wrong. I even apologized. You have nothing to prove to me, in battle or out. But I don't have anything to prove to you either. You're a strong opponent…but I feel you'd be a stronger ally. So I wish we could move past this."
I stared at her for a few moments, eyes narrowed, before I was even sure how to respond. "You sound different."
"Well, Koji-sempai says that without confidence, there's no…"
"Him again?" I said, throwing my arms wide. "Are you blind? That kid is using you! He's probably just trying to get into your pants or something! Why do you let him control you?"
Akemi blushed, but it looked more like an angry blush than an embarrassed one. "How dare you imply that about my sempai! Koji and his friends have treated me really well, which is more than I can say about you! And anyway," she quieted a little, then paused, before continuing. "Even if he is using me, he's holding up his end of the bargain. He's training me well. And as you can see, it's working." She sighed, glared at me a moment, and walked off, pausing only to set her bokken carefully away in storage before leaving the courtyard.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I couldn't believe how Taiki acted at practice that morning. If only he'd just shaken my hand after practice and left it at that, everything would have been all right. I would have left him alone, he wouldn't have yelled… He was strong, after all, and if nothing else I could have used him as a sparring partner, even if we weren't on talking terms. But despite my reservations about Koji and his crew, it was as I said – they'd taken care of me from the beginning, and he'd been training me well. I wasn't going to stand there while he was insulted.
I wasn't going to pick a fight over it either, though. No point in unnecessary violence…especially when I'd already proven my "point," so to speak, in battle.
I was longing for some piece and quiet in my room, after that fiasco, but I wasn't so lucky. Raiko had followed me out of the courtyard, when she saw me storm off, and caught up with me in the hallway moments later.
What was that about, she scribbled on a paper, and handed to me as we walked. I slowed to allow her easier "talking."
"Nothing," I said. To her raised eyebrow, I added, "Nothing more than usual."
If you insist. It's almost noon – how about lunch?
"I'd love to." I smiled. A big bowl of fruit sounded delicious. Then I frowned.
What?
"Oh, I just remembered…I told some people I'd eat with them today, already."
That Koji kid and them? What's the girl's name, Jakushi something?
"Chie-san," I said. "Yeah, Koji-sempai and the others." We were already standing outside the cafeteria, and now walked through the doors. "But you know, you can join us if you'd like. Really," I added, to the note of skepticism on her face. "I mentioned the other day that I was eating with you and they said I should just bring you along."
Raiko shrugged. I took it as agreement.
"Let's go grab our seats before we get food…Koji's table tends to get crowded."
Raiko nodded, and followed me across the cafeteria to Koji's table. It was, as I'd said, rather crowded; aside from the usuals (Koji, Chie, Mamoru, Seiji, and Iza-kun) I didn't recognize any of the others from previous meals. Chie, as usual, spotted me coming and waved cheerily; Koji stood to greet me as soon as he noticed.
"Ah, Miss Akemi! What a delight! I've been waiting to hear all about your matches this morning – there have already been rumors of course – and who is this?" he said finally, noticing Raiko beside me.
"This is Kinoyama Raiko, sempai," I said, definitely not in the mood to talk about the morning's matches and thus eager for the change in subject.
Koji reached out a friendly hand for shaking, but paused halfway and frowned. "Kinoyama? I haven't heard of that clan."
Raiko signed something at him, small frown on her face. I didn't need to understand sign language to be able to translate.
"She's not from a clan, sempai. She's from a Rukongai family, of mixed Living World parentage, so…"
Koji dropped his hand entirely now, eyeing Raiko suspiciously, especially when she signed again. I didn't know what she meant this time, so I shrugged. She scribbled on the pad and handed it to me:
I'm not sure I like him, Akemi…sorry, I know he's our sempai and all…
Trying to avoid conflict, I closed the notebook and handed it back to her hurriedly.
"What do you mean? This girl isn't a noble? And you brought her here?"
"Well, you said I should bring my friend."
Raiko signed, what I took to mean, "Who cares if I'm a noble or not, prick?" I chose not to translate.
"I didn't mean non-noble trash like that. I thought you knew better, Akemi."
I was busy trying to evaluate the drop of the polite "Miss" Koji always included before my name to even comprehend what he was saying at first, let alone have a chance to be angry at it.
Luckily, Raiko took care of that part for me.
With the angriest face I'd ever seen her make, she let loose a series of signs so fast they blurred together. I doubt even Ran would have been able to read them. But from the look of things, it was probably a good thing Ran wasn't there to see what Raiko was "saying."
"What?" was all Koji said at first, looking first back at me, and when I didn't translate, at Raiko again. "What the hell are you doing? I can't understand those stupid little hand motions. Talk like a normal person!"
"She can't," I started to say, but before I could finish, Raiko had scribbled something very darkly onto her book and shoved it in Koji's face.
"Understand…this?" he said, looking quizzically at her.
She gave him the finger and stormed off, leaving me staring, speechless, after her.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lunch of course was awkward, but Raiko had gone back to the room, and silver-haired Chie convinced me to stay. I suspect she felt the usual distinct lack of females at the table…regardless, we managed to calm Koji by distracting him with tales of my success that morning. I had to promise not to bring Raiko (or any "half-breeds") to the table with me again, and it burned my insides to do so…but I never promised not to eat with said half-breeds in my own time.
It felt uncomfortable, for sure. I didn't agree with Koji; Raiko had become even more precious to me than he had, so far that week, and I imagined, if she forgave me, that we'd become close friends. But Koji was my sempai, and his advice had been valuable to me so far. It was the only edge I had over the others, when I was usually either ignored or outright hated. I needed what he had to offer, so I held my tongue. At least around him.
Koji didn't hesitate to remind me, as we left the table, that Friday afternoon – that afternoon – was our last chance to sign up for our initial ride-along with the Gotei 13 divisions. He also didn't hesitate to remind me which division I ought to be signing up for.
When I stood before the sign-up sheets posted on the dormitory walls, though, during a brief stop before returning to the room to apologize profusely to Raiko, I paused. I hesitated. I looked carefully at every single sign-up sheet. My eyes lingered on a familiar name on the 13th sheet – Shihouin.
But in the end, I signed my name at the bottom of the sheet labeled "Sixth Division – Captain Watabe and Vice-Captain Mori."
Koji may have been an elitist prick sometimes, but when it came to my training, he had never yet led me wrong.
I then hurried back to my room, hoping my roommate would forgive me the actions of the person I called "sempai."