"Faster Kenichi, faster! Don't think you can take it easy because I'm lighter than Akisame!"
Kenichi ran faster, trying not to let the leather harness strapped to his chest and back slide. She rode on his back gleefully and slapped the riding crop across his calves again. He wondered if the rest of his Masters and the Elder had given her more time to train him in order to keep her mind off the incident with Kensei and move past it. He hadn't trained with Akisame or Apachai in days. He almost missed Apachai's unintentional killing blows.
"Actually you aren't that light…" he mumbled under his breathe. She reached down and choked him with one hand. "What did you say?"
He sputtered and tried to suck in oxygen. "I said, I'll pick up the speed Master!" She smiled and let go. "Oh good. I thought for a moment there I thought you were talking back. I thought I was going to have to make you return to the dojo and run with Apachai, Shigure and Honoka-chan on your back for 12 or so miles."
Kenichi ran harder, terrified at the thought. "See? Your endurance just increased!" She cackled and whipped him again. A large blur flew past them, stunning them both. "Stop Kenichi!" she ordered him and he did, nearly falling over. They turned around and came face to face with Takeda, who carried his master James Shiba on his back. Kenichi sighed. "Not again. This is just like that time with Akisame-sensei…"
"James Shiba, you egotistical dishonorable bastard. Fancy meeting you here." She jeered at him.
Shiba stroked his mustache. "Is that so my beautiful Venus fly trap? I see you're back from traveling around the world. Besides I don't live far from here."
She cringed at his nickname for her. "So you're still living in that broke down fleabag shack near the rail huh?"
He eyed her first and then gave her an amused grin. "You didn't seem to mind that time you spent…" She whacked him across the mouth with the tip of her crop before he could say more. "Shush!" she shouted and then focused on Takeda.
"Hey Takeda-kun…I bet your whole body regrets making him your Master right now, doesn't it? But you know what? I can fix that. Let me be your Master and come train with me. I'll treat you right and be gentle when it counts." She purred at him seductively and Takeda grinned foolishly, actually considering it. "Just come on over to my side baby chick, I promise I won't hurt you too much." She stroked his chin for moment until Shiba grabbed her wrist.
"My disciple doesn't want to work with the likes of you, harpy! He gets all the training he needs with me! Plus he is my main source of income." Shiba added flexing his gold rings.
Kenichi slouched as Takeda patted his shoulder sympathetically while his sensei wasn't looking. "Master your breasts are resting on top of my head again." Kenichi tried to tell her. "Be quiet disciple!" she answered whacking him the riding crop.
"Why would your disciple want to stick with your harebrained training methods? When he can spar with me? Besides Takeda-kun, I don't know if Shirahama told you…but in the morning I like to train braless with panties and blade. How does that sound to you?" She lowered her voice and waited for his answer. Both Shiba and Takeda reddened and used their imaginations. "No!" Shiba bellowed, snapping out of it and punched Takeda in head.
"You will not sway my meal ticket-I mean trusty loyal disciple, you voluptuous land siren! Take your weakling disciple and be gone!"
She narrowed her eyes and sneered at him. "I know you did not just call my disciple a weakling! My disciple is strong and skilled, both mentally and physically! He could eat your disciple for dinner and still not be full!"
Kenichi shook his head tiredly. "At least she is sticking up for me, even if she is embellishing my abilities a bit too much." He thought. "Hey stop that, it tickles." She commanded him; he forgot her breasts were still resting on his head. If Master Ma saw he'd be jealous.
"I care deeply about my disciple James Shiba, even if we haven't been training together for long. So you can take your arrogant babble and be on your way." She answered, crossing her arms obstinately. "I'll see you at school Takeda-kun. I'll make sure to heal any wounds you may have, privately in my office." She added, her voice taking a slightly sinister tone.
Shiba growled and yelled at Takeda to take off, leaving dust behind them.
"Sensei, how do you know him?" Kenichi asked curiously.
"I told you not to call me sensei! It's Master Megu to you! Anyway, he's just another unreliable man in my past, no big deal. You still have eight more laps; I suggest you get a move on before the sun sets."
"She said she cared deeply for me. I don't know if I should take that as a serious statement or not." Kenichi spoke to his flower bed while watering them.
"Why?"
"Because she said it while she was arguing with James Shiba-sensei-GYAH!" Kenichi jumped in fright. "Why are you sneaking up on me? I thought the flowers were talking back!"
Niijima shrugged. "My, my you get stranger every day. Must be from training with all those monsters at that dojo. I presume you were speaking about Master Koetsuji Megu?"
"Yes. Now what do you want? Wait-did you say Koetsuji? She shares Akisame-sensei's name?" he shrieked in surprise. He hadn't heard her or anybody refer to her surname since she'd arrived and it freaked him out to hear that Akisame had given her his last name.
"We don't want anything." Siegfried responded. Kenichi turned back around. "Why are you are Sieg? You don't even go to this school."
Niijima jumped in. "Oh he's here because he's gathered all sorts of wonderful information about your newest zealous Master. She's very talented if I must say so myself. Skilled in jujitsu, kenjutsu, taekwondo, kenpo, karate, nhat nam, muay thai, sambo, krav maga…the list can go on and on. Let's just say the fair maiden gets around."
Kenichi stared at Niijima. "Miu told me that she'd trained with a lot of different masters all over the world and learned many different styles but I didn't know it was that many." He admitted.
"She also was formerly engaged to Ogata Isshinsai otherwise known as Kensei, the saint fist of the One Shadow Nine Fists. Did you know that? Huh? Did you? I bet she didn't tell you that either!" He cackled.
Kenichi frowned at him. "Yes I did. I found that out before you did."
Niijima lunged at him, shaking him like a rattle. "Who? Who told you before I could unveil that delicious piece of intel?" Kenichi punched him in the head, knocking him to the ground. Siegfried helped him dutifully.
"That's none of your business Haruo. Anyway it doesn't matter, I know for a fact she despises him now." Kenichi was glad Niijima hadn't found out about the incident between Kensei and Megu.
Niijima tapped his pda screen looking for information that Kenichi didn't know. "How about this? One of her master's after she left Ryonzanpaku to train on her own, is someone extremely close to a master of yours." He spoke cryptically, indulging in the look of suspense on Kenichi's face.
"Who is it?"
Niijima held up his pda screen for Kenichi to see. "Ma Sougetsu?" he exclaimed.
"Yes, she was his only female disciple. That's all Siegfried could find out."
Kenichi looked at the curiously passive Siegfried. "How did you find out all of this stuff?"
Siegfried blushed and scratched his head timidly. "Well I…" Niijima bumped him to the side and interrupted. "Our loyal Siegfried here has taken a liking to your Master if you know what I mean. He's gone out of his way to learn more about her for both of our benefits." He crowed, his forked tongue flicking out suggestively. Siegfried waved his hands nervously in defense.
"No, no, he's just exaggerating. Your Master treated my hand in the Nurse station a few days ago when I cut it running an errand for the Shinpaku Alliance. She's wonderfully versed in classical music and we like much of the same composers. That's all."
"I wonder if Master Ma knows that she studied with his brother? He's never mentioned it and I've never seen her practice kenpo techniques around Ryonzanpaku." Kenichi was beginning to become worried, but he couldn't figure out why. Something was bothering him about the mystery surrounding Megu.
"Well I'll continue to gather information, but I have a feeling something is brewing between your master and Kensei. These are never wrong." Niijima pointed to his antennas.