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Chapter 9 – The Second Breaking

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Having now been accepted as a 'soldier', Rei was pulled out of normal lessons and was given a condensed timetable that comprised of Russian language courses, etiquette and deportment, and physical studies.

Etiquette and deportment covered everything from which fork to use with which course (when in doubt, start on the outside and work inwards) to how to address a senior official. The instructor took great delight in labouring Rei over his accent, declaring it 'common' and 'ill-bred', but, other than that, he didn't find it hard. Most of it was just plain politeness and if uncertain, call everybody sir.

Rei liked some of his language classes. Now that he could speak it to a convincing degree, his teachers worked on giving him and the other foreign students – soldiers – a more native edge. Most interesting was the lesson that they all learned to swear at each other in. Harder to remember was the slang for all the regional urban dialects. He could remember how to address the senior members of an aristocratic family in three languages, but he could not for the life of him recite all the backstreet names for heroin.

But now was not the time to be thinking about how low you should bow to a foreign minister, because a wandering mind meant an imminent meeting with the very hard floor.

Rei ducked around Erik's too-slow punch and rammed his elbow into his ribcage. Erik gave a slight 'oof', before rolling to the floor and attempting to kick his opponent's legs from under him. Rei saw this nanoseconds before the kick connected, and somersaulted backwards over him, stopping with his hand on the back of his neck.

"I concede," muttered Erik, bowing his head. Clapping was heard from the other side of the classroom.

"Well done, Rei," commended their instructor, stepping out from the sidelines. "Very good. Your reaction times keep getting better and better. Next, I'd like you to fight someone different, someone with a very dissimilar fighting style to you. Come here, John."

Everything seemed to be normal as they both took up their stances on either side of the room, but Rei could tell that there was something odd in the air. Tension on his side, calm on John's. The whistle sounded.

Rei ducked around John's first punch, rolling sideways to avoid the kick sent his way. He flipped over John's head and brought his arms together to block the double-handed punch, backflipping from the blow to regain his balance.

"Stop! STOP!!!"

They froze, looking back at their teacher.

"No, this is all wrong!" he shouted, storming over to them. "What is wrong with you, Rei? Why have you suddenly decided to change your fighting style?" he carried on without waiting for an answer. "What on earth possessed you to take a defensive stance? Couldn't you see that the best way to win against him was to take the offence quickly? Never, in all my years of -" His face suddenly took on a look of understanding. "Oh, I see. John, go to the room next door and tell the woman there that you want the 'Bluejay'. When you're done, come back and I'll tell you what to do."

Rei watched as John left the room, but his vision was soon impeded as a blindfold was slipped over his eyes. A voice chuckled next to his ear.

"Don't want to ruin the surprise…"

Rei sat for what seemed an age waiting for the door hinges to squeak, listening to the other students – soldiers, he told himself – as they sparred, fists meeting blocks. He was so absorbed in listening to the sounds their boots made on the mats that he was taken unawares when rough hands pulled him to stand in the middle of the room. The blindfold was slipped off, and then his entire vision was obscured by blue for a mere moment, before he managed to focus. And what he saw made his heart break.

Kai stood before him, Kai. It was just like before, the smile was the same, the terrible, sadistically cruel smile that told Rei that he really was a worthless piece of nothing that nobody could ever care about. The stance was the same, shoulder's back, hips slightly forward, feet planted apart. The walk was the same as Kai sauntered towards him. And then the hand came up from the opposite hip, just as before, and Rei's mind filled in the gaps.

He was on the floor before he even knew it, the whole right side of his face a world of pain from the backhand. He couldn't move for remembrance and shock. Just like before.

John looked up at the instructor in confusion. How had getting four blue triangles painted on his cheeks made Rei crumple like origami when slapped? He had done as the woman told him to, backhand him with the right hand, coming up from the left hip. Was that what made the difference? And now Rei was huddled on the training mats, fighting back sobs? Something was going on and he didn't know what.

"Take him away," ordered the instructor, motioning to two scientists that had materialised out of nowhere. "Second breaking complete."

John watched in confusion as the scientists carried the now unconscious Rei out of the training room. "What was all that about?"

"Rei is too trusting," replied the instructor, heaving a sigh. "He has so much potential, but he won't use it. You are his friend, he couldn't find it in himself to fight you. we had to help find it for him, by breaking his spirit."

"But you can't do that! He won't be Rei anymore!"

"Exactly."

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You like? Sorry for the wait, but exams are pooful.

I love all my reviewers because today they are…My Little Lamb Chops. Yummy.