The dojo was just as Sonic remembered it. There were even students in the courtyard training in formation and he immediately remembered the days of endless kendo training. That was one thing he definitely did not miss. He looked around to see his sensei as the one leading the group. He felt his throat tighten up but swallowed his fear and pride to sit on the viewing platform with his feet tucked under him and Kaiyō Mujō laid in front of him. It was nearly a half hour before the class finished but rather than dispersing they sat on the ground as Sonic's sensei turned to face him.
He was by no means an old man even though half the dojo had called him that at one time or another. He looked to be in his early fifties but his hair was already steel-gray, a perfect match to his slanted eyes. His muscles were well-defined as a result of years of teaching students the art of swordsmanship. He was still taller than Sonic but now only by a few inches. He was clean shaven except for a fu manchu and goatee that came several inches below his chin. On his side was a katana with a red tsuka and matching tassel. Though he couldn't pinpoint it he felt as if something was familiar about the sword, something he had felt before. He could feel his sensei's presence and at the same time he felt another pressure from the sword.
"You have quite the nerve to return here after what happened," he sensei told him, standing only a few feet away. "And to make matters worse you return without the sword I gave you. Were my lessons so meaningless that you rid yourself of all proof?"
"That's not what happened, honorable sensei," Sonic explained as he bowed his head. "The sword you gave me was broken in battle." He lifted Kaiyō Mujō and offered her to his sensei. "It was then reforged into this blade." His sensei took the kodachi and drew her from the sheath. As he examined the blade Sonic remained silent.
"Who reforged your sword?" he asked after a moment.
"I did," Sonic explained. "It was in the heat of battle and she offered to help."
"She? Since when did you start viewing your weapon as more than a piece of steel?" The question seemed to cut to the bone but Sonic swallowed his pride once more.
"Kaiyō Mujō is a part of me and I am incomplete without her," he said. "If it wasn't for her I'd be dead a dozen times over by now."
"And it has a name?" his sensei mused quietly as a smile crept across his lips. "You have advanced much further than I thought you could in such a short amount of time. But tell me something: Have you finished the assignment I gave you?" Sonic balled his hands into fists. He had known this was coming but for some reason he hadn't prepared for it.
"Yes," he said finally.
"Who was your first victim?" The way his sensei spoke it was like he knew everything Sonic had been through.
"I don't know," Sonic admitted as images from Beech Knoll flew through his head. "My powers went berserk and-"
"Then I do not care about those deaths." It was cold but Sonic expected as much from his sensei. "What is the first one that you count?"
"I count those that have fallen, regardless of whether I remember them or not," Sonic stated forcefully. "But if you're asking about the first I killed in cold blood then it was Kinos. He was an enemy of the Freedom Fighters, of mine, but he was also my friend. It was him or the Freedom Fighters."
"So his death still weighs on your soul?"
"Yes," Sonic admitted. "I killed my friend, regardless of everything else he was."
"Are there others?" The events of the Highwind came flashing back and he closed his eyes.
"A friend and I were captured by a scientist who performed brutal experiments on us," he began. "What she allowed her crew to do to Mina was unforgivable. As we were escaping I killed two of the guards not caring whether they had participated or not. They deserved to die."
"And who are you to make such a judgment?" his sensei asked setting Kaiyō Mujō back on the ground. "Who made you God to decide who lives and dies?"
"I don't care about that," Sonic answered locking eyes with his sensei. "They hurt her in ways that no civilized being should. Their deaths are the only ones that do not burden me."
"Nor should they," his sensei said with a nod. "You fought to protect the honor of your friend which they had stolen. You may have taken their lives but your anger then and now is a righteous one. As for the others do you regret killing them?"
"No," Sonic simply stated. "I can't change the fact that they're dead and I'm not. I carry the burden of their death and their blood on my hands but nothing else." As his sensei's hand rested on his sword Sonic had a sudden feeling of anxiety.
"Then you are the first to truly understand the lesson." Sonic looked up in surprise. "Did you honestly believe that I would send my students into the world to needlessly kill and spill the blood of innocents?" his sensei asked. "If I wanted to train assassins then I would have taken the offers from nearly every nation on this continent. I seek to teach that even though a sword is an instrument of death it can still be wielded to protect.
"The deaths of those you have killed will forever be with you, shaping the warrior you will eventually become. You have also not become consumed with their deaths by accepting that you were responsible for it but knowing things cannot be changed now. Nor have you sought out battle and bloodshed as your fellow students mistakenly thought I wanted." Sonic looked to the back of the courtyard where he saw eleven katanas resting on a rack. He knew his was the final one of the dozen but his curiosity got the better of him. "They returned to brag of their 'achievements' and I killed them," his sensei answered simply, crossing his arms across his chest. "As I said, I do not seek to train assassins or murderers." A mixed wave of relief and disgust washed over Sonic, knowing full well that they had likely deserved their deaths but unable to accept that his sensei had killed them without a second thought. "So, what will you do now?"
"I came here to finish what I started," Sonic said, his determination steeling as he bowed. "With your permission I would like to study under you once more, sensei." The old man stared at his student, surprised by how humble he had become. He was no longer the brash young man that had wandered into his dojo a year ago.
"On one condition," he said after a few moments. "You left here spitting on my name and my honor. Before I can accept you back we must settle the score between us." Sonic swallowed nervously as he stood up with Kaiyō Mujō in his hand. He knew that he didn't stand a chance against the old man, especially with his speed gone. Nonetheless he nodded and drew Kaiyō Mujō as his sensei drew his own blade. The pressure Sonic had felt earlier now pressed down on him like an enormous weight. He shrugged it off as his sensei took the first step.
Either Sonic was out of practice or his sensei had gotten faster as the first strike landed on Sonic's chest, sending up a light spray of blood. The wound quickly stitched shut, giving Sonic a moment to prepare for the next few strikes. The strength of his blows remained unchanged but his speed was definitely improved from what he remembered. For the first few minutes of the fight Sonic found himself only able to attack a handful of times before going back on the defensive.
"What is wrong?" his sensei asked as they locked blades. "You act as though you've forgotten how to spar. Have you allowed yourself to become so paralyzed by fear that even the simple act of fighting has become lost on you?"
"I'm not afraid!" Sonic insisted as he pushed back against his sensei. The old man pushed him away before jabbing several times which Sonic barely blocked or parried.
"So you say but the truth is obvious," his sensei retorted as Sonic attempted a counterattack. "Your eyes show that you have lost something, something that you believe makes you who you are." He parried the next attack before slamming his head into Sonic's, sending the hedgehog staggering back. "And why not? Your speed was all there was to you, nothing more. Without it you are nothing more than a useless husk."
"Like hell I am!" Sonic yelled as he attacked with newfound strength. "My speed has nothing to do with who I am. I'm this way because I chose it, not because of some stupid gimmick!" As the words left his mouth he felt a surge of power come from Kaiyō Mujō. He attacked again, managing to catch his sensei off-guard before bringing his right leg up in a roundhouse kick that sent the old man skidding across the ground. "Sure, maybe I've always made a big deal out of my speed but there's a hell of a lot more to me than that."
"You are but a gem with a single facet," the old man mocked, picking himself up off the ground and wiping away the trickle of blood from his mouth. "While most people have many things that make them beautiful your speed was all you had. Without it you are nothing and will remain as such."
"Go to hell!" Sonic roared as blue light surrounded him. "Ryūkai tsume!" As he swung an aqua wave shot out from Kaiyō Mujō as she awoke. The wave slammed into his sensei, throwing him across the courtyard. Sonic panted heavily as his power mixed with his sword once more. He gripped the tsuka tightly and stared at the familiar shape of the blade. While he couldn't explain it he felt as though she was humming with excitement at being reunited with him.
"And with that we are finished for the day," his sensei said clapping Sonic's shoulder. Sonic stared at the old man wondering how he had crossed the courtyard without being seen. "I will have your quarters prepared for you. In the meantime you should relax in the hot springs." Sonic barely had time to utter his thanks before the old man continued with the kendo lesson as if nothing had happened.
What...just happened? he thought as he sheathed Kaiyō Mujō. Oh well, at least I was right about this clearing things up. Time to hit the springs.
As he eased himself into the water Sonic let out a loud sigh. It felt like it had been a lifetime since he'd had a decent soak. "They can have the therapy," he said as he closed his eyes. "I'll take this any day of the week."
"Agreed," Fiona said as she slipped in next to him. Sonic leapt out of the water while still having the presence of mind to grab his towel as he landed on the stone floor.
"How did you...Why are you here?!" he asked panting.
"I just followed you here," the fox replied as she slid in up to her chin. "I don't know why you're covering yourself. It's not like I haven't seen it before." Sonic's cheeks flushed but he got back into the water nonetheless.
"I left the city an hour ago," he pointed out. "How did you manage to catch up with me in that time?"
"Let's just say I hitched a ride," Fiona said with a wink. "You really need to pay better attention when you're out and about. You are way too easy to follow."
"I've been distracted, in case you hadn't noticed," Sonic replied as he sank deeper into the water. "Anyway, what possessed you to follow me?"
"Curiosity," she admitted with a smirk. "I didn't find out about the springs until I did some snooping around."
"Good thing the old man didn't catch you. He hates intruders."
"Oh he knows I'm here." Sonic glanced over at her. "I stopped and said hello while you were getting ready. I told him that I was here as your moral support and for some reason he laughed. But he said that as long I didn't distract you from your training that I was welcome to stay. And to keep my hands off the artifacts."
"Seems like your reputation precedes you," Sonic said, another sigh escaping as the water undid the knots in his back. "You know, all you had to do was ask and I would've brought you with me."
"This seemed like more fun," Fiona said with a laugh. "Besides, seeing the look on your face when I got in was worth the hassle of following you around the city." Sonic grumbled, reluctantly agreeing. "So it seems like you got your mojo back."
"I don't know how the old man does it," Sonic admitted. "With everything that's happened to me you'd think he'd be at least a little in the dark. But here he is knowing everything about everything just like always."
"And all he had to do was push the right buttons and you snap out of your funk." Sonic nodded. "I need to learn how to do that."
"You already know how to," Sonic said with a smile. "You just use a slightly different method."
"Like this?" Sonic felt Fiona grab him and he jumped a foot out of the water before splashing back down. His face burning red, he dunked Fiona's head into the water in mid-laugh. When she came back up she was still laughing. Not long after that they both retired to their room where two futons were laid out. Sonic sat on the ground as Fiona slipped under the covers. Propping his back against the wall and Kaiyō Mujō against his shoulder he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
