Chapter 14

Epincion

Author's Note: As an apology for the abnormally short chapter a few days ago, I'm uploading this one early. Sorry for the inconvenience if there in fact was one.

-JubJub

"Master," Eri bowed, setting her bag down. "I did my conditioning this morning. I'm here for me lesson."

The head of Yoake spun dramatically to see her student and smiled broadly.

"Hello, Eri darling," Rachel Stanley greeted her sweetly. "I was just trying on masks and decided that this red-and-yellow one suits me a lot better than that red-and-orange one, don't you think?"

"They both make you very noticeable," Eri assured with a slight smile. "But I agree, the yellow one is better."

"Thanks," Rachel properly put the mask on, flipping her massive head of blond hair over her shoulder. "Now, before your lesson, I want to discuss something with you."

"Go on," Eri nodded, tying her long, dark hair in a side pony-tail in preparation for her training.

"Well, there's this really annoying master with a couple disciples that thinks he's the boss of this town," Rachel rolled her eyes. "But, duh, we're stronger! And to prove that to him, we want to show him that even our little baby Yoakeko disciples can take them down."

"You want me to take the student council with me," Eri guessed.

"No," Rachel raised a finger dramatically, then put up two others to join it. "Three. I want you, that president guy, and Katsuo Yamashita to take down this guy. I will not allow for any of your subordinates to join you, nor anyone else. That includes Lisa Kugenin, got it?"

"Why just the three of us? The risk is enormous since we're fighting a master," Eri reminded her.

"That's true," Rachel nodded. "But you'll be fine. That president of yours is actually pretty good. You underestimate yourself; there's nothing to worry about!"

"Thank you master," Eri smiled graciously.

"And now, I need to train you so you don't make me look like a total loser of a sensei!" Rachel hopped up excitedly and cartwheeled to their dojo, her disciple following her calmly close at hand. "We can't have the disciple of the Yoake head losing a fight, now can we?"

"Oh! Hey!" Ma Kenichi blinked in surprise when he ran into Katsuo in the hallway.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Katsuo smiled charmingly.

For some reason, the two didn't run into each other often and it was rare for them to be in the same at the same time. However, they both enjoyed each others' company and didn't mind a civil conversation every once in a while.

"Yeah. You're friends with Lisa, right? She doesn't say much about her friends, so I'm just pickin' up bits and pieces here," Ma Kenichi offered. Katsuo's gaze grew dark.

"Yeah, I'm friends with Lisa," Katsuo confirmed. Then he looked around, as if to check if anyone was watching them. "Can you follow me?"

Ma Kenichi agreed, and soon after Katsuo had brought him out behind the school, the same place where Haru and Lisa had fought the past week.

"What's up?" Ma Kenichi asked, slightly put off that Katsuo was being so serious despite the fact that they weren't very close friends or anything. "Something bothering you?"

"You could say that," Katsuo said earnestly. "You could say that I'm a little suspicious of you."

"Suspicious? Of me? What for?" Ma Kenichi blinked in confusion.

"Well, you see," he started, turning away from him dramatically. "Lisa and I have been very close... friends as of late, and I wanted to know where you stand with her."

"I'm not sure what you mean. We're childhood friends," Ma Kenichi reminded him.

"That's just what I mean!" Katsuo pointed accusingly at him. "You probably know her better than anyone; you know the things she wouldn't tell her master and you spend more time with her than both her parents combined! There's no way you could be around someone so amazing and not have feelings!"

"Oh, that!" Ma Kenichi burst out laughing. "I thought you were talking about something serious! Yeah, to answer your question, I did like Lisa for most of my childhood."

"I knew it."

"Bu-u-ut!" he raised a finger defensively. "I do not like her anymore, nor do I have the intention of liking her in the future. There's someone else I've got my sights on."

"Yeah, Tomoko Tsubasa," Katsuo nodded. "I thought that might be the case if you didn't like Lisa. You guys are too cozy for nothing to be going on."

"I don't like the way you put that, but I guess you're right," Ma Kenichi shrugged. "Anyways, why do you want to know? I mean, it's not like I did anything particularly lovey-dovey towards her. Why do you ask?"

"Oh! Well, I-I just," Katsuo stammered. "was curious?"

"Ah! Curiosity got the best of you, huh?" Ma Kenichi accepted the excuse too easily.

"Idiot! That's not it! I'm in love with her!" Katsuo raved, suddenly annoyed that Ma Kenichi was so dense. "I wanted to make sure I had no competition from you!"

"Oh!" Ma Kenichi smiled. "That's nice for you. I've got to warn you though, if you think I'm dense then you've got another thing coming! Lisa's probably the most anti-romance girl in the world and I've never seen her realize it when someone likes her."

"That's alright," Katsuo grinned. "Instead of making her see that I like her, I'll just make her like me." Ma Kenichi burst out laughing again, but not meanly.

"Good luck!"

"Tommii!" Haru whined to the 3rd year representative. "Do you have a passport? I want you to take me to Russia!"

He, of course, didn't respond, but his lack of reaction indicated that he didn't deem this desire worth his time.

"Come on! My master is gonna be all kinds of mad at me for losing to Lisa, and the only way to be safe from a storm is to hide in the eye!" Haru babbled.

Tommii looked up and looked back down, shaking his head lightly.

"Why not?!" she erupted. "If you don't take me, I'll die."

He shot her a knowing "no you won't" glance.

"Ple-e-ease? I'll never ask you for anything else in my entire life! You're the only one I can turn to for these kinds of things since the President, of course, is extremely busy and Eri is mean and Katsuo won't leave Lisa and I can't impose on Lisa like that-"

Tommii touched Haru's wrist without looking up and pressed a finger to his lips. Hush, child.

"B-But..." Haru's voice trembled with sadness. "I haven't been to Russia in forever and my master is waiting for me there."

Tommii let out a breath loudly through his nose. He looked up, his bangs still shielding his eyes, and eyed her. Haru sagged in defeat.

"Yeah, I know," Haru whimpered. "I shouldn't inconvenience you right before your battle with Lisa. But I thought you might enjoy it."

There was no change in Tommii's expression when he wrapped his hand around Haru's small wrist and pulled her towards him, hugging her and then kissing her forehead. Then he released her and she tumbled backwards. The 1st year representative smiled widely.

"Maybe later! Got it!" She skipped merrily away.

Tommii sighed. His challenge had to be issued soon. It was such a pain. To be honest, fighting was the last thing he wanted to do. However, if he refused to fight he would lose the respect of Yoakeko, which he'd sacrificed so much to get.

He could still afford to put off the challenge a little longer.

Moments when Tsubasa was alone were rare; often Ma Kenichi walked her to and from school, pretty much monopolizing all of her time. On weekends, though, Ma Kenichi had training sessions with Ma Kensei and, of course, was unavailable to spend time with her.

She visited Midori Niijima's grave again. It was spotless, as usual, since Tsubasa visited and cleaned it every week. Offerings, flowers and small, nonperishable dishes of foods Midori had always loved were displayed artfully, the work of his parents. The only two beings who visited the grave more often than Tsubasa was Haruo and Yuka Niijima.

At the end of her visit she climbed stiffly to her feet.

When she turned to leave, she saw a man blocking the exit of the cemetery. Tsubasa thought he looked frightening, but oddly, she didn't feel afraid of him.

He wore a long black hood that fell over his eyes, perfectly messy yellow hair falling before his eyes like tips of paintbrushes. Tsubasa thought he looked roughly 30, old enough to be her father. His arms were crossed threateningly, his arms appearing firm and strong even through the cloth of his cloak.

"Do you need something?" Tsubasa asked politely, as was her habit for being kind towards adults.

"Yeah," his voice was low and impressively manly. "I'm here to talk to you, kid."

"I see," she blinked in surprise. "May I ask who you are?"

"I doubt it matters since non-martial artists haven't heard of me," he grumbled. "But it is customary to introduce yourself. My name is Tanimoto Natsu, and I'm-"

"Ah! Tani-sensei!" Tsubasa instantly lit up and smiled. "Ma Kenichi talks about you a lot!"

"I hate that stupid brat," he spat to himself. "Anyways, you're Tomoko Tsubasa. You've been getting kind of cozy with him, haven't you?"

"I don't know what you mean," she yelped in response, her face turning pink.

"Don't be coy," he snapped. "I'm not blind; I can see what's happening."

"Why are you here, Tani-sensei?" Tsubasa asked, nervous but bold.

"I'm here," he started, ignoring the way she'd addressed him. "Because you're here."

"Huh?"

"Look around," he stretched his arms. "You visit a cemetery every week. For who? For a guy who wasn't even in your class and died over a year ago."

"What exactly are you asking?" Tsubasa's patience was running out, but she managed to maintain her cool.

"My brat disciple likes you. Don't even try to act surprised because everyone saw it coming," he said. "I have no doubt that you at least think he's a good guy despite his annoying quirks. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"But you keep coming here. So you can't make yourself forget this Niijima kid, right?"

"What?"

"Essentially, you need to make a choice," Tanimoto crossed his arms again. "You need to either live in the past with the Niijima kid or live in the present with everyone else."

"You're asking me to forget about Midori Niijima?" Tsubasa demanded, now abandoning politeness and sticking to abrasiveness. "He was one of my best friend since I was in elementary school. He was my boyfriend for the last year he was alive. He was my first time. You're telling me to forget about him?"

"I can't believe I have to explain this to you," Tanimoto rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache. "Repeat after me: Midori Niijima is dead."

"M-Midori Niijima is... dead."

"Listen, kid. The alien spawn isn't coming back to life. It's just pathetic how much you keep trying to pretend he's still around," he said harshly. "I've lost so many friends you couldn't count them with your fingers and toes combined. If I spent all my time visiting graves like you, I wouldn't have time to breath. And I definitely wouldn't have time to live."

"So... you want me to move on," Tsubasa asked slowly.

"No. I'm not telling you what I want you to do," he shrugged and turned to leave. "I'm telling you what your choices are. I don't give a shit which you choose."

"Ma Kenichi was right," she smiled shakily, deep in thought. "You're a really good man inside."

"Everyone keeps freaking saying that," he mumbled, and disappeared.

"Come on, guys," The President gestured to Eri and Katsuo. They all wore black, the standard color worn on missions. "Their hideout is there."

"What's the plan?" Katsuo asked. "There are three of them, and one is a master.

"I could take the disciples and you boys could take the master," Eri offered.

"Look at them," The President ordered. Katsuo and Eri turned to peak over the bush they were hiding under and saw them, two male disciples and a buff male master. "Can't you tell by their movements? The man is barely a master, but his disciples are pretty high level. Eri, you could defeat them individually, but not both together. Katsuo, you take the one on the left and Eri the one on the right."

"What about the master?"

"He's not a particularly skilled master," he said lazily. "I'll hold him off until you guys are done, then you can help me finish him off."

"Sounds like a plan!" Katsuo nodded. He and Eri exchanged a glance, but they knew from experience that they could trust the President.

The three scurried over to the hideout. Katsuo marched up to the door and knocked on the door.

One of the disciples opened it, and Katsuo immediately launched his first attack.

"Criss-Cross Strike!" he thrust his arm forward, striking the disciple's face with a powerful palm blow. "Eri! President! Go!"

The two launched into action, Eri leaping in with her legs extended.

"Diego Tick Steiner!" she called the name of her technique of the Lucha Libre style, wrapping her legs around her current opponents head and twisting her body around in an attempt to throw him off balance.

The disciple countered and attempted a jujitsu throw. So they use Jujitsu, Eri calculated the rest of the battle immediately. This fight was as good as over.

Katsuo realized that they were a jujitsu style just from the way they walked, but the disciple he was facing must have been at a much higher level than the other. This was unfortunate since Eri was stronger than he, but Ryuto Asamiya often said that fighting those who are stronger than you is the quickest path to being a master.

"Yamazuki!" he attempted, but the disciple was not fooled by the double punch and dodged with ease.

"Kuchiki Daoshi!" the disciple attacked, swiftly grabbing Katsuo's leg and lifting it upwards.

Katsuo tripped and fell, but caught himself with his arms and kicked his opponent in the face with the other leg. Once he released his leg, Katsuo flipped to an upright position.

I better end this quick, Katsuo thought, breathing heavily. I think it's time to use that technique.

"Shintoukei!" he called warily. This was his first time using the advanced technique in battle, and he hoped dearly that it worked. He took a deep breath confidently, trusting in his training.

With one powerful strike to his opponent's chest, the disciple flew backwards. Katsuo knew that the technique had been a success, and the disciple sustained internal injuries because of the technique.

Eri was also wrapping up, and Katsuo heard the familiar sickening crack as the disciple's neck snapped under the pressure of one of Eri's attacks.

"Let's go help the President!" Katsuo called.

"Don't... bother!" the President called. The vice president and secretary turned to evaluate the situation and let out a gasp.

Both the President and the master in question were critically wounded, but both were standing. However, it was obvious that the master, in fact, was in worse shape!

"Beginner's luck, kid," he grumbled. "Don't think it means something."

"Denial. The mark of a sore loser," the President mumbled. He swallowed and took up his offensive stance once more.

The President, quickly and with no wasted energy (for he had no energy to waste), circled around the master quickly. His opponent turned to keep his eye on the President, but before he could, the punch had already been thrown.

"Meteor Straight!" The President let his fist fly, putting all his weight into that one punch, and struck the back of the man's head with dangerous speed and accuracy. The master, although wounded, turned to face the President in an attempt to counter.

"Super Tornado Uppercut!" The President punched again, striking the man's chin with astounding speed.

The master fell.

"Beginner's... luck," the master gasped out and fell unconscious. The President rolled his eyes and limped over to the body.

"It was enough to kill you," The President whispered eerily and threw a punch straight down at his neck, ending his life.

Katsuo and Eri blinked in awe and admiration of their President.

"Mission complete," the President said to them simply. "Let's go."

"Ma Kenichi," Tsubasa said one Sunday afternoon as they sat side by side on a park bench. "Do you... never mind."

"What?" he asked with an eager smile.

"It's nothing."

"Come on! Tell me!"

"Well, I just wanted to know... what you think I should do," she asked, looking down at her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"About what?" he asked, his long black braid resting over his shoulder. "Is something wrong? Did something happen?"

"It's nothing big," Tsubasa said quickly, assuming that Tanimoto didn't want Ma Kenichi to know about their conversation. "It's just... I want you to help me, but I don't know how to ask you."

"I don't even know what you want me to help you with," Ma Kenichi pointed out. "Why don't you tell me the story. Then it'll be easier for you to ask me for help, don't you think?"

"You might be right," Tsubasa agreed quietly. Then she looked up into Ma Kenichi's large, innocent, vibrant green eyes. "But I'm not sure I should tell you the story. It's pretty long."

"I've probably heard longer," he smiled. "And I want to know everything about you, Tsubasa. Don't hold back because you think I might think something bad about you, because I promise I never will."

Tsubasa closed her eyes and smiled warmly. It felt nice to be cared about again.

"Alright," she said, no longer afraid of what he might think. Tsubasa trusted him. "I'll tell you everything."