Hey guys. Well, this is it. This is the moment everyone has been waiting for. And oddly enough, today happens to be the one year anniversary for All is Fair in Love and Kendo! Whoo-hooo! xD So, enjoy and don't forget to review! x3
Edit: Crud, I almost forgot. For those who have never seen a kendo fight or don't really know much about kendo, I suggest watching this short video (youtube .com/watch?v=ONq_3wD6VsE) to get the basics before you read this. If you want to learn more about kendo, I suggest watching the anime Bamboo Blade - awesome x3.
Chapter 6
A Proposal
"Hey, kid!" a yell shocked her back down from cloud nine. Turning back towards the entrance, Kagome's stomach plummeted at the sight of Inuyasha standing there glaring at her with Miroku right behind him.
Oh, shit.
"There's no practice for the Kendo Club today, pal. It's Kendo Team members only, so get lost", Inuyasha exclaimed to the disguised Kagome. It seemed that he had mistaken her for one of the boys in the Kendo Club.
It was a relief to Kagome that he wasn't able to tell who or even what gender she was since she was wearing all that armor and the boys' blue kendogi, but now she had to figure out how to get out of there. She couldn't just go walking outside fully suited up especially since the bogu and kendogi weren't hers, but she couldn't go back to the girl's locker room to change since Inuyasha and Miroku would naturally be curious about why a girl was in the dojo and would certainly be waiting for her to come out. Kagome couldn't think of anything to do except stand there and hope the two would just leave.
"Are you deaf or something? I said you can't be in here", Inuyasha repeated, but Kagome continued to stand in silence.
"Keh, wise-ass, huh? Fine, then. Miroku, keep an eye on this kid while I go grab my armor. Since he wants to train so badly, we're gonna have a little match and see if he's still this cocky afterwards", Inuyasha declared as he headed for the boy's locker room.
"Sure about that? Sensei will probably go off on the both of you", Miroku warned.
"We'll have plenty of time. The old fart's probably off goofing around and it won't take me long to wipe the floor with this kid."
And with that, Inuyasha left the incognito Kagome and Miroku in an awkward silence. But, Kagome could have cared less about that at the moment.
Wipe the floor with me? Where the hell does he get off acting all cocky like that? Oh … right, he thinks I'm some smart-aleck Kendo Club member. Gah! What am I gonna do? Having a match won't be too much of a problem since it'll buy me some time, but it won't last forever and then I'll be stuck again. Ah, Mou!
A minute later, Inuyasha reappeared with his protective gear half way on, about to put on his men and kote, "Hope you don't mind us skipping the formalities so we can just start."
Realizing the statement was directed towards her, Kagome nodded and went to meet Inuyasha in the middle of the taped-off match area.
"Miroku, you referee for us", Inuyasha commanded while he and Kagome drew their shinai and prepared their stances.
"Alright then, but I warned you. We'll make it a standard two out of three match. Since this isn't an official match, we won't worry about calling fouls, but try not to kill each other", Miroku explained and then raised and dropped his arm to signal the start of the match, "Begin!"
Immediately, the two began crossing tips with their shinai feeling out the other's tension or lack thereof and occasionally emitting shouts – typical of kendo matches – while waiting for an opening. Even though she was just having a mental freak out two seconds ago, Kagome was now calm and focused, watching for any slight deviation in Inuyasha's movement.
And then, Kagome noticed Inuyasha begin to slightly raise his shinai higher. He was going for a head strike early on – most likely to intimidate her and to show off, too. But, Kagome wasn't some amateur and knew exactly what he was planning. The second Inuyasha made his advance, Kagome quickly thwarted his shinai with her own and evaded off to the side. She had moved so fast that Inuyasha didn't even get the chance to call out his target. Inuyasha had barely even noticed his opponent had eluded his attempt at a strike before he turned to find the guy awaiting his next attack.
What the-? When did he move? The guy was just standing right in front of me; how did he get over there so quick? I haven't seen anyone from the Kendo Club or even the Kendo Team move that fast before. But, he has on a uniform, so he has to be in the Kendo Club, right?
But, Inuyasha didn't have time to be figuring out who the guy was, so he pushed his bewilderment to the back of his mind and went straight at Kagome for another head strike. This time he didn't hold back and put all his strength into the shinai as he aimed for the top of his opponent's head.
Suddenly, Inuyasha's shinai was firmly halted by his adversary's own shinai and then quickly shoved away so forcefully that he lost his grip on his weapon. Inuyasha had a split second to realize his opponent had disarmed him and that he was now wide open for an attack before he heard the shout of "MEN!" and felt an extremely powerful strike across the top of his head-guard.
After swiftly striking her opponent, Kagome made a smooth turn-about and poised herself for the next attack. However, it seemed that Inuyasha had become a statue. He hadn't made any moves to reclaim his fallen shinai or to even face her.
Uh-oh. What's wrong with him? I didn't think I had hit him that hard. I was actually holding back a little. He couldn't have been hurt or gotten brain damage from such a weak attack, right? Hey, why hasn't the ref called my strike yet?
Despite Kagome's half-hearted concerns, Inuyasha's brain was working just fine. In fact, it was going into over drive.
Wha-what just happened? I went at him at my top speed, but I didn't even see that guy make a move at me. And that strike … I've never felt a strike like that. Not even from Totosai.
Off to the side of the two kendoka, Miroku stared in astonishment at what he had just witnessed. He had never seen anyone strike a point on Inuyasha so easily. It seemed like this unidentified kendoka didn't even have to try very hard at all to score that point, too. Miroku then noticed the mystery guy was staring over in his direction. Without needing any words from the guy or even a facial expression to read off of, Miroku suspected he was waiting for him to make the call on the strike.
"H-head strike," Miroku tentatively called out which seemed to be what Inuyasha needed to bring him out of his daze. He then picked up his shinai and faced his opponent. Inuyasha knew he was in trouble of losing the match and was starting to get edgy, but he couldn't let this guy see that. He had to keep his cool.
"Keh. Not bad, kid. That was a lucky shot, but don't get cocky cuz now I'm kicking things up a notch", Inuyasha taunted as he drew up his shinai with Kagome's.
Lucky shot my ass. Who does he think he's fooling? Mou, looks like I'm gonna have to show him to take me more seriously.
This time without waiting for Inuyasha to make a move, Kagome excelled forward and maneuvered around Inuyasha's shinai. Once again, she shouted "MEN!" and struck the throat section of Inuyasha's head-guard. Kagome put so much strength behind her strike that it picked Inuyasha's feet up at least half an inch and then sent him flying to land sprawled on the floor.
Miroku couldn't believe his eyes. The guy had thrown Inuyasha off his feet with a throat strike – practically the most dangerous attack in kendo. Worried that Inuyasha had been injured, Miroku darted after him yelling, "Oh, shit! Inuyasha are you …"
"I'm fine, Miroku! Just stay there!" Inuyasha stopped him as he propped himself up on his forearms and pulled off his head guard so he could catch his breath. He wasn't seriously injured, but he still grimaced as he tried to move after being thrown on his back like that. However, Inuyasha ignored any pain he felt as his mind spun at the results of their match.
What happened? I'm the most experienced kendoka at this school. But, this guy ... this guy defeated me without even breaking a sweat. He's just standing there like that whole match was practically nothing, even after using that throat strike. Who the hell is he?, Inuyasha's thoughts raced as he still laid there on the floor.
Even though she appeared perfectly calm and composed to Inuyasha, Kagome was internally panicking after realizing what she had just done.
Oh, crap! What did I get myself into? I was just going to bide myself some more time to think of a way out of this mess, but instead I went and lost my temper. Now, I'm in even bigger trouble. I should have never come to the dojo today!, Kagome chastised herself.
Abruptly, the dojo's door was slammed open, quickly drawing the three teenagers' attention to the rather irritated looking Totosai in the doorway.
"Hayashi! Fukui! Explain to me why you two are in here fooling around instead of out on the track field with your team", Totosai demanded as he approached them.
Miroku was the first to respond with, "Sensei, we finished our laps before the others, so we came back here to wait. But, we found this guy …"
"That is no excuse. Even if you finished your required laps you should have continued training with your team. Now, I want both of you to go back to the track field and tell your team that you all have 50 more laps."
At that declaration, Inuyasha finally pushed himself to his feet.
"And, what about this guy, sensei?" Inuyasha questioned as he gestured his shinai towards the mystery kendoka, "He snuck in here to train without permission when the dojo is only supposed to available for the Kendo Team today."
"That is for me to be concerned with – not you – Hayashi. Now I won't tell you two again, both of you go back to the track field and inform your teammates of everyone's additional 50 laps."
"Hai, sensei", Inuyasha scathingly complied. He removed his protective gear and placed them against the wall before joining Miroku at the sliding doors. Inuyasha took a quick glance back to the still masked enigma and then followed Miroku outside. Kagome let out a sigh of relief at their departing and instantly began removing her bogu.
"Well, it looks like you had some fun while I was gone, Kagome", Totosai chuckled.
"What happened to you, sensei? You said you would be back by the time I had had changed, but you didn't show up until just now", Kagome accused as she finished unlacing and pulling off her do.
"Actually, I had just approached the doors when I heard Hayashi challenge you to that match. I was curious to see how my top student would fair against an opponent like you, but sadly I was disappointed in his performance. It makes me question my appointing him to be the captain of this team, really. Then again, I didn't really expect him to come close to winning even a point against you."
"So, you left me to fend for myself so that you could test your student's abilities?" Kagome incredulously inquired as she placed her tare in the pile of armor.
"I truthfully had not intended for you to come here to fight one of my pupils. But, I saw an opportunistic learning experience for the both of us and just couldn't let it slip by. So, tell me what you thought of Hayashi's skills. Where do you think I should make improvements for him?" Totosai prodded.
Annoyed by Totosai's indifference to the stress she had endured, Kagome folded her arms across her chest with an irritated humph and turned her head to stare at the wall. Totosai realized from her reaction that it was a lost cause to attempt coaxing a reply from her after his little stunt. He was about to apologize to her for the trouble and dismiss her to go home when she abruptly spoke up.
"Humility", Kagome disgruntledly explained, "He needs to be taught a lesson in humility. He let his guard down, underestimating his opponent and overestimating himself. Once he realized I wasn't some amateur, he became overwhelmed and was easily defeated. I could see that his physical strength and abilities aren't lacking. It's his ego that's needs to be improved. I'm sure that – if he were to knowingly face me again – he would be more focused and more than likely would put up a good fight. He could probably even defeat me."
"What? You honestly think Hayashi could win against you?" Totosai chortled.
Kagome regarded Totosai with a puzzled expression and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Totosai chuckled even more at Kagome's question. Now, she was just confused and ticked off again.
"What's so funny?"
"I apologize. It's just rare for someone to be as gifted as you who can still be so humble", Totosai explained.
"Mou. Why do you keep saying stuff like that? You keep talking about how I'm such a "gifted" kendoka, but I honestly don't think I am. Sure, I might be a little advanced for my age group, but I don't think I'd be any match against a Sandan ranked kendoka. And, I'm certainly no match for a Kyudan like you. I haven't even been ranked at all."
After taking in all that Kagome had expressed to him, Totosai couldn't believe how little Kagome really understood about her capabilities.
Does she honestly believe that the talent she just showed in that match with Inuyasha was 'a little above average for her age'? Was that level of skill really nothing special to her? If, that's the case, then there is no telling what she could do if she put everything she had into competing. But, Kagome is a smart girl. How can she be this oblivious to her abilities?
Somehow, Totosai had an odd feeling, like he was missing something important here, but he brushed off the sensation, deciding it was nothing. If Kagome was still figuratively in the dark about her abilities, then Totosai supposed it was up to him to enlighten her.
"Well, if you really think that Hayashi would – as you phrased it – 'put up a good fight', then how about you and I make a little wager", Totosai proposed. Kagome wasn't quite sure what Totosai was getting at with all this, but now he had her attention.
"What kind of wager?"
"Well, it's more of a proposal. Next week, I'd like you to come back to the dojo and have another match with Hayashi. If he defeats you, then you won't ever have to come back here for another match again. But if you win the match, then you'll have to come back the next week again and have another match with him", Totosai explained.
"That doesn't make much sense. I win the match and lose the bet or I lose the match and win the bet? You know, I could just lose the match on purpose", Kagome reasoned.
"Being a Kyudan, I would certainly be able to tell if you tried something like that. However, I doubt you'd really make yourself lose a match on purpose. You were very competitive when you were younger and you still seemed to show a little of that same competitiveness in your match today. So, what do you think? Will you accept my proposal?"
Kagome didn't know what to say. It didn't seem like there were any risks. It wasn't like he made it to where she had to join the Kendo Team if she lost. Although, it might start to become a real pain if she had to come back every week and make up excuses for being home later than usual. But, it wasn't like Inuyasha wouldn't eventually win against her at some point. There really wasn't anything to worry about except for one thing.
"Alright, I'll accept the wager, but only under one condition."
"And, what condition would that be?" Totosai inquired.
No one can find out who I am; my identity has to be kept a secret. If someone does find out it's me, then the deals off," Kagome exclaimed.
"Fair enough", Totosai nodded his compliance, "Then, I'll see you here next week."
After the Kendo Team had finished its practice for the day, Inuyasha and Miroku both went over to Miroku's house. Ever since the two friends had joined their middle school's kendo club in seventh grade, it had become sort of a tradition for them to hang out at one or the other's house and work on homework together after practices. Due to Inuyasha's parents having random dinner parties and Miroku's family being busy running their shrine every now and then, they started planning ahead for whose house to go to in order to avoid interruptions in their studies.
As there was another dinner party taking place at Inuyasha's house, it was decided that this time Miroku's place would be their destination. Once they arrived in Miroku's room, Inuyasha promptly dropped his school bag on the floor and collapsed on his friend's bed in over-dramatic exhaustion.
"Make yourself at home, why don't ya?" Miroku snickered as he dropped his own bag and sat at his desk.
Inuyasha sat himself up from the mattress to reply, "Hey, you're just as wiped out as I am? That practice was brutal and then we had to walk all the way here, too."
"I never said I wasn't tired. But don't forget, I didn't get the crud beat out of me like you did by that guy today."
"Ugh, don't remind me", Inuyasha groaned as he reached back to rub his sore neck, "What was up with that guy anyways? We came back after those extra laps Totosai gave us and he was gone. Plus, Totosai didn't say a word about it."
"Dunno. Totosai probably wanted to teach you not to act so self-important like you think you have to know everything that goes on, or something", Miroku suggested.
"I could care less about the old fart's life lessons right now. What I wanna know is who the hell that guy I fought is."
"Well, you got pretty close to him during your match. You didn't see the guy's face through his men or anything?" Miroku uninterestedly prodded as he began to pull out his homework supplies and place them on his desk.
"No, I might have been close to him but the guy moved so fast it would have been impossible to see his face even if I had tried", Inuyasha explained.
"Then, there's not really anything to do about it, right? You didn't get a good look at him, Totosai's not going to tell you anything, and it's unlikely that you'll ever see the guy again", Miroku reasoned.
"I don't care. I've fought against some pretty strong opponents before, including Totosai, but none of them compare to that guy I fought today. I'm going to find out who this guy is and challenge him to another match, but this time I won't underestimate him", Inuyasha declared before he slid to the edge of the bed to pick up his bag and pull out his homework, too.
Now this sparked Miroku's attention. He'd never heard Inuyasha sound that adamant before. It seemed that Inuyasha's swift defeat earlier that day had affected him more than Miroku had originally thought.
"Wow, you're really serious. But, why do you want to fight him again so bad?"
Inuyasha stopped rummaging through his bag to ponder Miroku's question. He thought over his answer for a second before responding with, "Because, I assumed that it was just one of the Kendo Club wimps. I didn't take the guy seriously and ended up getting my ass kicked. That match was a real challenge of my skill that I haven't had in a while and I feel like I screwed it up. So, I'm going to fight this guy again and I'll put all I've got into it."
"Well, your determination definitely isn't lacking. But, there's not much you can really do right now so let's get started on this pile of homework. You don't have much longer until you have to head home", Miroku reasoned.
"Yeah, guess you're right."
Glossary
Sandan: 3rd Dan
pwease review :3
