UPDATE: Believe it or not, I accidentally deleted this chapter while trying to update it with a new version. Sorry, for those of you who've read this already, but this is basically the same chapter 14 (with minor differences). Feel free to read it again to pick up on those. /update
Now the new schedule really begins with the first Saturday in January. I think you guys will like this one, because while it's entirely a training issue, there's some action and character beats. That's the trick with these sorts of issues; you have to make the training and the action about the development of the characters, not just their fighting skills.
So, my Youtube channel was a bit of a failure as I never had time to make videos...and I forgot my password. However, I've now created a tumblr side blog where I'll do the same things I would've done on the Youtube channel, only in print now. Please go follow it at the username: AllStarDrake. Thanks!
A quick note, if it wasn't clear already, I'm using American slang, and measurements (as in feet, yards, pounds, etc.). It streamlines the writing process for me.
One review? What's up, guys? You don't have to review anything, but I'd love it if you would. It really does motivate me. Plus, I could use whatever critiques you're willing to give. I'd like to have two or three a chapter, but enough of that. Moving on from the guilt tripping...
Valery-chan: Thanks for reviewing as always! I'm glad you like Kimiko! She and Makoto are both really fun characters to write! You'll find out if your guess is correct this issue!
…
Reborn! Again
Target 14 – Heart of a Warrior
The jog down to Namimori Middle should have been pleasant. It was short enough that Katsuro wouldn't get tired, and long enough that it could still act as a decent warm up. Katsuro was also literally running toward his future—toward a time when he'd be a more proficient fighter than ever before, able to protect everyone he cared about. Yet he couldn't shake a sense of dread from deep in his bones.
Katsuro still hadn't gotten used to the idea of putting his life in danger every day, despite how he may have acted around the others. He quivered with every step he took. The mafia? Crazy. Assassins? Crazier. Magical flames? The craziest. This new world was not only terrifyingly dangerous, but also utterly unknown.
So, it made perfect sense that Katsuro not only literally quaked in his boots as he entered the school grounds, but also that he went without noticing the figure waiting in the shade of a tree near the entrance.
"Saito Katsuro," the figure called.
Katsuro slid to a stop, and slowly turned to face the mystery person. He took a deep breath, calming himself, only to find all sense of fear knocked out of his brain at the sight of the only other person in the schoolyard—his trainer! No way. He couldn't believe it.
"Wait, you're my trainer?" Katsuro asked incredulously.
Akamine Hikari stood up straight and stepped away from the tree, smirking amusedly. Katsuro wasn't used to seeing her out of uniform, and he certainly never imagined she'd wear a faded gray skirt, indigo flannel shirt, and combat boots, or, in other words, ordinary clothes for a teenager. She always seemed like the preppy, snobby type to him.
"What? 'Oh, uh, I'm so innocent and sweet' doesn't scream hitwoman?" Hikari mimicked the voice she so often put on during the school day, light and airy in tone.
"Well…yeah," Katsuro admitted.
"I'm good at my job. What can I say?" Hikari mused.
Katsuro frowned. "You could start with an explanation, for starters. What the hell are—"
Hikari cut him off when she leaped forward, drawing two black batons from her sleeves. Katsuro froze, eyes wide with shock, as Hikari smacked him across the face with a baton. However, neither moved after that initial blow. Hikari stepped back and looked disappointedly at Katsuro. The black-haired boy stared at the girl, his cheek reddening.
"You're weak." Hikari sighed, shaking her head. "What happened to the ferocious rebel who fearlessly declared he'd take 'all comers.'"
Katsuro blinked once. Hikari added, "Word gets around."
"Fight back!" Hikari shouted, and she swung a baton at Katsuro. The boy managed to react this time, grabbing her arm in mid-air. His expression was cool, calm, and a far cry from what it had been a moment ago, but he still didn't retaliate.
"I…I don't know if I can do this," Katsuro explained. Hikari's expression darkened. "When you attacked me, it wasn't shock or surprise as much as…fear that made me freeze. I'll admit it. I was scared of you, and I can't shake the fear in my gut. I don't know if I'm cut out for the mafia."
Katsuro relaxed, letting Hikari's arm go. He then turned away and began to walk off, Hikari growing more frustrated with each of his steps.
"That's all?!" Hikari shouted.
"I'm thinking it over," Katsuro shot back.
"Really? This is the second time you've committed to Sora, and you're still pulling this BS! Yet again, when shit gets real, you run off with your tail between your legs! Fight like a man, Saito!" Hikari demanded. Katsuro didn't respond.
"That's all it took? One attack? What changed in you?! Stop being such a goddamned sissy, Saito, and attack me!" Hikari continued. Katsuro still didn't react. He neared the exit.
Hikari grimaced. She only had one thing left to exploit. Throwing a baton, she cried out, "Your mother would be ashamed of you!"
It happened nearly quicker than Hikari could see. Katsuro swiveled around and caught the baton in mid-air, just inches from his face. Pure, unadulterated rage had lit up within his stormy gray eyes. He glared at Hikari, but didn't say a word.
"I'm not lying, and you know it," Hikari calmly finished. She twirled around her remaining baton and got into a fighting stance. "Come on, Saito. Reborn says you've got the heart of a warrior. Prove it."
Katsuro threw back Hikari's other baton, and the girl caught it, still in position. She eyed him warily. Katsuro reached down for his claw hammer, and a smile flickered over Hikari's lips.
The two charged at one another, Katsuro roaring in anger.
-XI-
Sora and Reborn stood opposite one another in an unusual section of Namimori Park. They were right in the heart of an enormous field, and sectioned off into uneven thirds at the edges of the meadow were three wildly different pieces of land. The first was a shaky bridge of small boulders across a river. The next was an enormous hill that dropped off immediately at its top, meaning climbing it would require a person to go straight up. The last—a wild mess of bushes and trees, a forest as thick as it was long.
Sora glanced around at each of the three sections, quite aware of where this was going. He managed to focus on Reborn, who stared at him unblinkingly.
"So, where do we start, Reborn?" Sora asked, smiling uncomfortably.
Leon transformed into a pistol in Reborn's hand. Sora gulped.
"With your death," the hitman stated, firing.
BANG!
"REBORN! I'll train with my Dying Will!" Sora declared, the fiery mode taking effect.
"Warm up with one hundred laps around the field, then start with the river. Make it across and you pass," Reborn ordered, while Leon shifted into a glider he used to soar over Sora's head.
Without a word, Sora took off around the field, sprinting full speed.
-XI-
A short distance from where Reborn led Sora in training, Makoto and Hide settled in another clearing in the park. The older man collapsed onto his behind, stretched, and yawned, leaving Hide to look at him expectantly.
"Should I…sit?" the athlete asked.
Makoto smiled lightly and shook his head, "Nah, man, you're good. Keep standing. We're gonna get started."
"Yes, sir," Hide said, although he didn't quite understand where this was going.
After yawning once more, Makoto explained, "We'll begin with a basic combat drill. Land one hit on me, Hideaki-kun, and you pass."
The athlete cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Sir, with all due respect, I'm an expert fighter. You won't be able to just sit there and casually avoid me."
Makoto's casual smiled evolved into something else entirely, reminding Hide of the look he often saw on Kori's face whenever he came across the boy. It was mischievous, and almost a little cruel.
"Try me," Makoto pushed.
"If you insist." Hide got into a ready stance reminiscent of both tae kwon do and boxing, his legs squared shoulder length apart, but his arms held up in boxing position, fists and forearms protecting his face.
Without wasting another second, Hide fired off a powerful punch at his slacking trainer.
-XI-
Kimiko hopped up onto a tree branch to sit, while Kori dropped a duffel bag to the ground and glanced around their section of the park, which coincidentally was in the forest where Sora would soon begin training.
"We sure no one's gonna show up and make this whole training thing awkward?" Kori wondered.
"Absolutely. The Vongola prepared a PSA to let people know the park will be closed for the next week for 'private operations,'" Kimiko explained.
"The Vongola can do that?"
"At this point, you should be asking 'what can't they do,'" Kimiko quipped, to which Kori nodded understandingly with a smirk. Moving on, the eldest Nakamura said, "Open up the bag, take the bow and arrows, and get ready."
Kori immediately did was he was told, discovering a large green compound bow, and a similarly colored quiver of glimmering tipped arrows.
Sliding the quiver over his shoulder, Kori looked up at his sister and said, "Target practice? You've gotta be kidding me."
Kimiko slyly smiled, reached into her jacket pocket, and produced a rubber ball. She held it out teasingly to her younger brother, who frowned.
"Really. Drop it, throw it, whatever. I'll hit it," Kori said, nocking an arrow.
"Prove it." Kimiko tossed the ball into the air.
Kori tried to draw back the string on the bow, only to find himself struggling to do so. By the time he'd managed to pull it back, the ball had bounced off the ground. Unable to hold the string taut any longer, Kori lost his grip on it and the arrow notched into the ground just inches from his toes. He bit back a gasp, and looked up at his Kimiko.
"What…?"
"80 pound draw. You're going to have to be faster than that if you want to hit the ball," Kimiko said. She motioned for Kori to throw her the ball. He frowned, hurried over to it, and tossed it to his sister, who caught it with one hand.
"I use a 40 normally. Why the hell—"
"Language!" Kimiko chucked the ball at Kori, bouncing it perfectly off his face so that it returned to her.
"Ow!" Rubbing the pain out of his nose, Kori continued, "I'm just saying. 80 pounds seems like a bit much."
Kimiko said, "Reborn told me about your fight with Obata Eiji. He told me he either blocked or dodged all of your arrows. There's a simple solution to keep that from happening again. Stronger, sharper arrows, and—"
Kori interrupted, "A faster shot. Not just me, but from the bow. The arrows have to move more quickly through the air, which means—"
Kimiko smirked, and finished, "A heavier draw, yes. You've proven you can draw the bow. Just get strong enough to do it quickly."
"Meaning…?" Kori questioned.
"Meaning," Kimiko removed a pistol and a clip of green bullets, "We'll use a training method Reborn made famous. You're going into Dying Will Mode."
Kori stepped back as his sister aimed her pistol at him. "What the hell is a Dying Will Mode—"
BLAM!
Kori collapsed to the ground, while Kimiko blew the smoke away from her gun.
"You'll find out. And language," Kimiko said.
"REBORN!"
-XI-
Katsuro collapsed to the ground, battered and bruised. Hikari stood over him, and popped her neck. She put away one of her batons and used her free hand to pick up Katsuro. The injured boy tried to say something, but nothing came out.
"Anger. Anger is the key to breaking through your fear. Remember that, 'cause I sure as hell will," Hikari whispered into his ear.
The trainer then tossed Katsuro into the air and knocked him unconscious with a blow to the head.
Hikari stretched, popping her back, sighed in content, and then said, "Ten minute break, then round two starts."
-XI-
SPLASH!
Sora fell headfirst into the river for the fourth time. He tried to grab onto one of the stones for support, but his hand slipped off its wet edge. Gasping for air, Sora forced himself up out of the water, the fire over his forehead flickering away. The river was deeper and stronger than a river in a park had any right to be. He could die in its current.
Yet, somehow Sora managed to push himself, swimming to the river's edge and onto dry land. The blond bent over and vomited out water. Then, he collapsed back and stared up at the clear blue sky above him.
"A little over ten minutes in Dying Will Mode. A new record," Reborn shouted from the other side of the roaring river.
"Can't. Breathe. Enough," Sora said between breaths. "Never. Run. That. Much. And. River. Sucks."
He was, in fact, so exhausted that the pain arcing through his body seemed ignorable at worst, and for brief spurts forgettable at best. Reborn, however, didn't care. Taking careful aim, Reborn fired at Sora again.
"REBORN!" The blond shot up onto his feet. "I'll conquer this river with my Dying Will!"
Sora took one explosive step onto the rocky path across the river, and slipped and fell. It only took him a few moments to get back onto land, but that was enough time for Reborn to speak.
"Focus, Sora. You can't conquer the river with brute force. Be agile, think on your feet, and most importantly react appropriately to every problem."
"Yes, sir!" Sora cried out, stepping onto the first stone more carefully this time.
One by one, slowly, Sora hopped onto each stone. However, his stability couldn't last forever, particularly as he neared the epicenter of the river's powerful current. He slipped, and began to fall to his side into the river, but he twisted his body in mid air to provide one hand enough room on the stone to latch onto it. Then, he propelled himself off his hand and into the air, using all his strength to push himself most of the way across the river.
Reborn smiled slightly as Sora landed gracefully and continued his trek across the river. It didn't take long for the boy to finish the process. He was talented; even Reborn, especially Reborn could see that. These physical tasks would come to him quickly. It would be the mental tasks that would prove difficult.
"Take half an hour off. Rest," Reborn said.
Sora huffed, but managed to relax himself, the Dying Will Flame fading away. Immediately, the boy fell back and fainted, snoring loudly.
Now, it was Reborn's turn to look up at the sky. He would make a man out of Sora. He would make a leader out of him. If he didn't do it soon…well, everything would fall apart and the Vongola would be doomed.
-XI-
Hide's fist crashed through a small boulder as Makoto used the rock to spring away with one foot. In fact, the mafia doctor had only either used his right leg or right hand to move throughout their sparring match. Additionally, he casually sat or lay around much of the time as Hide attacked him.
The sheer lack of anything resembling success had slowly built up frustration in Hide, and the athlete had begun to charge recklessly. His hands cut, bleeding, and bruised, Hide had quickly become his own worst enemy, injured but not at the hands of his trainer.
"You're strong, fast, an expert at…mixed martial arts, I believe, and loyal. However, for every skill and selfless virtue you have, you lack an equally important survival instinct," Makoto chimed, reflexively flipping off his right hand.
Hide absorbed his trainer's comment, but didn't reply. Instead, he lunged forward. Makoto rolled to the side, causing Hide to run right into a tree. The athlete collapsed, and massaged his head.
"There, for example. You were reckless. You have been reckless, because you believe blindly throwing yourself into training is the best way to improve so you can protect Sora. That is not the case," Makoto sat down, crossing his legs, while Hide looked over at him, waiting patiently.
The mafia doctor continued, "Reborn told me all about your encounter with…Sasuke, was it? The gym was dark. He couldn't see you, and yet your first idea was to wait until you had to react, instead of being proactive and taking Sasuke down from the shadows. It's an interesting notion, the combination of your instinctive heroicness and basic stupidity. You're noble, but reckless. Brave, but dumb. A stereotypically perfect Sun guardian, always fighting in the light."
"It's a new age, Hide." Makoto slowly stood up and began to stretch. "A new age that requires a new type of Sun guardian. A better Sun guardian. The only requirement is that you 'destroy the misfortune that attacks the Family with your own body, becoming a Sun that brightly shines upon the area.' However, that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your own body to do so. Suns cast shadows, you know."
"I…I don't understand. I thought a guardian's duty was to be willing to sacrifice everything for their boss," Hide finally spoke up.
"Yes, to be willing to sacrifice everything when necessary, but only when necessary. You can't protect Sora if you're dead," Makoto stated.
Hide frowned, but did not respond, instead simply staring down at his cracked and bleeding knuckles. Makoto eyed his student for a moment, before yawning and offering one last word of advice.
"That's all for combat training today. Run, do pushups, practice your many martial arts, whatever. Just think about what I said. We'll meet here again at eight tomorrow."
Hide nodded, but still did not speak. He only stood up when Makoto was out of sight, but by that point he was quaking with anger. Hide quickly turned around and lashed out at the tree behind him, palm out. The bark splintered and shattered as the tree fell over, a gaping hole in the midst of its trunk.
Heaving with frustration, Hide slammed his fist into his open palm. "I'll become a guardian worthy of you, Sora! I swear it!"
Then, the boy proceeded to do sprints, followed after by hundreds of martial arts moves, mixing dozens of styles, until the sun went down. Finally, under the silver moon, Hide relaxed and returned home.
-XI-
Long before Hide left the park, Katsuro had returned to sparring with Hikari. While there were moments the two were evenly matched, much of their bouts seemed more like bullying than fair fights. Hikari hit Katsuro repeatedly with her batons, often in the same place, while Katsuro never managed to land a clean hit. He scraped her, occasionally, but could do nothing more.
After the latest of their fights, the sun just beginning to set, Katsuro bent over and threw up, hammer in hand.
Wiping the vomit away from his mouth, Katsuro looked up through a swollen eye at Hikari and finally said what had been on his mind for hours, "This isn't training. Getting my ass whooped over and over definitely doesn't qualify."
Hikari cleaned her batons with the sleeve of her jacket, not even bothering to look at Katsuro as she responded, "I'm training you to withstand pain, so that doesn't freeze you up anymore. It's working. You haven't whined or tried to run off for hours."
"Okay, fine, so I'll fight now. I'm not getting any better," Katsuro said. "Even if I learn to read your moves, which I seriously doubt, I won't be learning any applicable skills."
"A few things. First off, you will learn to read my moves, and in the process get much better at reading anyone and everyone's, because let me tell you—I am an amazing fighter."
"Could've fooled me," Katsuro grumbled, as Hikari continued.
"Second, you're getting stronger, more confident. Despite what you may believe, that is happening. You're a natural, and you're just beginning to discover that. Lastly, the final phase in your training—the 'holy shit, I'm a badass' moment—hasn't come yet," Hikari finished.
"And when exactly is it coming?" Katsuro asked, as he silently wondered, 'What happened to sweet, innocent Hikari? I mean, this chick cusses like a sailor, and she fights like a…well, an assassin.'
"Worry about that later. For now, fight." Hikari got into a ready stance.
Katsuro groaned, but did the same, raising his hammer.
Hikari grinned wickedly, like a predator examining its prey.
"C'mon now. Bite me to death."
-XI-
"You think you know pain, Kori? You know nothing!" Kimiko shouted into her brother's ear as he continued to do push ups.
"I! NEVER! SAID! ANYTHING! LIKE! THAT! One thousand and one!" Kori declared, each word said to a pushup. A green flame sparkled over his forehead, the archer's eyes blank with rage.
"Are you talking back to me, shrimp?" Kimiko roared.
"No, sir!" Kori said, sweat beading down into his eyes.
"What was that?" Kimiko spat.
"No, ma'am!" Kori hurriedly replied.
"You're damn right! Now pick up speed! Train like your life depends on it!"
"Yes, sir!"
"What?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
-XI-
"AAAAHHH!" Sora screamed as he fell from the mini mountain for the seventh time. He crashed into the ground, the air getting knocked out of his lungs in the process.
"It's not so easy when you don't have the Dying Will bullet's help, is it?" Reborn called from the highest cliff.
Sora didn't even bother to sit up as he muttered, "It's not so easy when you're physically exhausted and hurt all over."
"What was that?" Leon transformed into a boomerang in Reborn's hand.
"Uh…why can't I just do this in Dying Will Mode? It's not like you'll ever run out of bullets!" Sora blurted.
WHAM!
The boomerang whacked Sora and then twirled back around into Reborn's grasp.
"Don't count on it," Reborn mysteriously replied. The hitman looked up at the setting sun and sighed. "Go home, Sora. We'll start again tomorrow."
The blond didn't argue the point, and tried to sit up. However, he couldn't bring himself to move, instead causing pain to surge throughout his body.
"AGH! Um, a little help down here?" Sora cried out.
Reborn chuckled and flew off in a jetpack of Leon's making.
As Sora watched his tutor go, he yelled, "Reborn, please! I can't—AGH!" The boy recoiled in pain. "God damn—OW! Help m—SHIT!"
"Reboooooorn! –YOW!"
-XI-
NEXT TIME ON REBORN! AGAIN: The Scorpion Twins
Ken- Guess who?
Kori- Um…do I know you?
Ren- Bro! He hasn't met us yet!
Ken- What? Stories of our triumph, of the terror we struck in the hearts of his friends haven't yet reached this…child?
Kori- You're like as old as me!
Kimiko- I was wrong. Time's up. Le Bestie are here.