Okay, so some may remember the sensei that was mentioned by Hachi back in chapter 6? Here he is. Just to give a little hint regarding what he's like, if he were to be voiced by anyone: he'd be voiced by David Lodge and Fumihiko Tachiki… for those who don't know who they are, they are the voices of Kenpachi Zaraki.
Some Common Sense Chapter 20: Their First Mass Panic
The train slowly came to a halt outside the train station, allowing its passengers to exit. They all looked like your average citizens doing average things, people who were just going about their daily business. Some were going to work, some were going to visit friends, some were on holiday, and a few were going to the hospital for a check-up.
Ordinary people, save for one individual.
He strode out of the door. He wore a crimson gi which had the sleeves torn off. His trousers were also red and he wore geta sandals. His blonde hair was short and his face was stern and chiselled. He raised a phone and the screen flickered to life. Had anyone else been tall enough to see the screen they would find a small munchkin kitten picture on it: one of the man's many pet cats.
"Hmm." The man gave a little smile. He brought up his contact list and scrolled down to the one that said Rin Hashiba.
It was a rather pleasant surprise when she called him, inviting him over. The two kept in contact pretty regularly, having known one another since middle school. It was a joy to discover that her son was a martial arts practitioner, as well as his friends. He enjoyed training them, just as he enjoyed the special fruit pies Rin would make afterwards. And to top it all off Junichi apparently had a girlfriend.
Oh, yes. He was very much looking forward to this.
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The day started off fairly normally, or at least as normal as one could be in the odd little couple that was Junichi and Yukana. It was just a simple outing: go to a café, have some food, maybe work on a school project or two and then some gym time. The others had gone off to do their own thing.
The two had sparred that day, whereupon Yukana had punched Junichi in the face when he let his guard down to look at Michelle yelling at Akari. Yukana had apologized profusely for the accident, and Junichi had laughed it off while complementing Yukana's strength. They later decided to do hand pads afterwards. So yes, an all in all normal day for the two. However just as Yukana waved goodbye to Junichi and turned to leave she jumped when she heard a shriek of absolute terror.
She whirled around and charged through the door, seeing that Junichi had curled up on the couch, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Junichi! What's wrong!?" she asked in a panic. Junichi jumped up and grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Saaaavvveeee meeeee! She's making fruit piiieeeee!" he squealed. Yukana slapped him a few times to try and calm him down, to no avail. She looked to Rin who gave a helpless look. The door opened and Hachi came in, also screaming like a lunatic. Nene followed, looking panicked but at least not making copious amounts of unnecessary noise.
"Oh, crap. Oh, crap. Oh, crap. Oh, crap. Oh, crap." She repeated. "Let's all take a breath here, and focus guys. Maybe he's just visiting!" she sounded like she was saying it to herself more than the boys. Hachi was shaking Junichi while screaming in his face and getting screamed at in turn.
Yukana tried to focus on someone who seemed remotely sane, but only found Rin, who gave a little sigh as if sort of behaviour was normal.
"Every time." She said over the noise.
Okay, she was getting answers. Right now. Yukana took a deep breath.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" everyone stopped, looking at Yukana in shock. She pointed at Junichi and Hachi, "You two, no more screaming like banshees, in fact don't make a sound until I say otherwise, got it?" they nodded. "Good, now sit down and calm your shit." She turned to Nene while the two rushed to obey. Nene fidgeted a bit, looking a bit embarrassed now that she was calm. "You. Explain. Now." Yukana ordered.
"Okay, a while back when we were learning to fight we got an offer to train under a man who knew quite a few things about martial arts. His name is Kenta Igarashi. He either taught us or sent us to people who could teach us, but usually he would oversee our training and… occasionally take part." Nene explained, grimacing at the memory.
"Did he beat the hell out of you guys or something?" Yukana asked. If that was the case then maybe a chat with child services was in order.
"No, he didn't hurt us too badly, but we were young and he was terrifying. He's actually a pretty nice guy and is a real softie. He has a lot of small cats at home."
"Okay, so he's not that bad, so why the terror and screaming?" Junichi cleared his throat, "Permission to speak, ma'am."
"Granted," Yukana waved a hand.
"Whipped," Nene muttered under her breath.
"Screw you, Nene." Junichi bit out.
"Sorry, that's Ranko's job." Nene replied.
Silence. Awkward, awkward, silence.
"Aaaaanyway, as I was saying. While he didn't hurt us as much as he could, he still managed to somewhat traumatize us, we were pretty young back then so the fear was set in early and just… festered inside our subconscious for several years. I found out that he was coming over when I smelled kaa-chan's fruit pie. She always makes one when sensei comes around." Junichi explained.
"Fair enough, do you want me to be there so you don't have a panic attack?" Yukana asked. Junichi lit up like a Christmas tree, smiling brightly at his girlfriend.
"I love you so much." He said. Yukana smiled and kissed his cheek, "I know." She stood up and faced Hachi and Nene. "What about Ranko and Yui? Weren't they hanging around with—"
Knock, knock, knock!
"Speak of the devil." said Nene as she opened the door, revealing the two aforementioned girls. Ranko was panting heavily, hands on her knees and sucking in lungful after lungful of air while raining sweat from her forehead. Yui looked immaculate in comparison, not a hair out of place.
"How… the hell… do you run that fast… for so long?" Ranko wheezed between breaths.
"I used to do track in middle school." Yui explained. She sent a malicious smile towards Ranko, "It also might be because I don't bounce when I run." She nodded to Ranko's chest. Ranko growled, "At least I can bounce, washboard."
"Washboard, huh? Well maybe compared to my current company I may seem very flat, but I'm actually rather average in that department." Yui smiled as she glided through the doorway. She wasn't wrong, she was pretty developed, but compared to Yukana, Nene and Ranko she was somewhat overshadowed. "So what's up with the sudden meeting? Why did Hachi-san suddenly start screaming like a little girl and run off like that?"
"Wait, you were walking with Hachi?" Nene asked.
"Alone?" Junichi asked.
'When was that a thing?' they both thought. Yui blushed and looked away, huffing, "Don't change the subject! I just wanted to know if there was a problem. You know, so I can reschedule my calendar if something happens to Hachi!"
'What a tsundere.' Thought everyone (barring Hachi) in the room with a sweat drop. Hachi tilted his head in confusion.
"Anyways, we'll give you the rundown." Nene sat down and started talking.
Girls are now explaining…
"Nope!" Yui stood up and started walking towards the door. "Nope!" she had a huge, cheery smile on her face as she opened the door.
"Yui, come back." Yukana ordered.
"Nope!" Yui repeated before leaving the house. Ranko looked at her girlfriend and then at Yui.
"You know what, it really damages my pride to agree with the washboard, but I choose life. See you." She stood up and followed Yui out the door. Nene growled and stomped to the door.
"Ranko, next time I see you I'm going to go to town on your sorry tanned ass with a fly swatter, I swear to god!" she slammed the door and sat down in a huff. Outside they heard Yui and Ranko sing, "Fuck this shit I'm out…" loudly.
"So just us four then, okay." Hachi sighed. "We'll live."
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
"…We're dead." Hachi corrected himself.
"He is here." Junichi whimpered. Nene gulped and opened the door.
"Hey, sensei. How's it going?" she squeaked. The big man stepped through the door and Yukana realized that she probably should have followed Yui with this one. He was huge, so huge in fact he had to duck his head to get through the door. He nursed a bruise on his jaw and growled, or was it a sigh? His voice was so deep she couldn't tell.
"Are you okay, sensei?" Junichi asked. The massive man rubbed his jaw and sighed/growled again.
"Some fat idiot attacked me, calling me Ken Masters, don't know why. I knocked him out and went on my way." The man explained. Rin came into the room and upon seeing the large visitor broke out into a smile, "Kenta-kun! Nice to see you again!" Junichi blinked, "Kun?" he asked. Since when were they that close? Kenta smiled at Rin and gave her a gentle hug.
"Good to see you again, Rin-chan." Kenta greeted.
'Rin-chan?' Junichi's eye twitched. Kenta turned to Junichi and crossed his massive arms.
"How have you been, Junichi? Kept up with your training?" he asked. Junichi gulped, but nodded. "Good, maybe I'll test you a bit afterwards. There's a gym near here, we can go there."
"Okay!" Junichi squeaked. Kenta turned slowly to Hachi and Nene, who both nodded frantically, giving incredibly forced smiles.
Then he turned to Yukana.
"I'm guessing your Yukana Yame. Rin-chan told me about you. So you're the one that managed to get through to the most stubborn mule in all of Japan." He said. Yukana nodded.
"Yes, that's right." She confirmed. Kenta nodded with a hum, and then asked, "Did he make you in a lab?" Hachi covered his mouth to try and hide his sniggering. Yukana closed her eyes and pinched her nose in frustration.
"No." she replied. Kenta gave another hum in acknowledgement.
"Nice one, young man. Please don't drive her away or something. You'll never be able to get anyone else otherwise." Junichi looked ready to take offense at that, but Yukana wrapped and arm around his neck and pulled him in, an action which had an unfortunate (or fortunate) effect of pushing his face into her breast.
"Nah, don't worry! He's not getting rid of me just yet." She promised. "Isn't the right, Junichi-kun?"
"Mmmph!" Junichi found it very difficult to speak considering his face was buried inside what he considered to be a gift from the heavens.
"I'll take that as a yes." Yukana grinned. Kenta gave a little smirk at the display and turned to the other two.
"What about you two? Got someone special?" he asked.
"I do, but I'm going to pay her back for… walking out on me recently." Nene grinned.
"Her?" Kenta arched a brow.
"Yes, her. I'm dating a girl. Is there a problem?" Nene asked with a sweet smile and a bucket load of murderous intent. Kenta didn't look fazed even when everyone shuddered.
"No, no issue. People are free to like who they like." Kenta shrugged. "What about you, Hachi? Did you manage to find yourself a girl… or did you finally accept a guy's proposal because he thinks you're a girl?" Hachi blushed at the reminder of those incidents. How many times has that happened now?
"We're working on it." Yukana chuckled. "I'm sure he'll notice her sooner or later." Kenta frowned for a few seconds before he realized what Yukana was referring to.
"Ah, oblivious, figures." He chuckled. The others, save for Hachi who gave everyone else confused looks, all chuckled. Kenta clapped his hands together. "So then, I believe we have a few hours before dinner. What say we all take a trip down to that gym Rin-chan told me about? I need to see if you all kept sharp." He suggested with a grin that made him look satanic. Junichi, Hachi and Nene all turned very pale. Yukana forced herself to smile.
'Nope, I'm done. Too scary. Fuck this shit I'm out.' She thought. "Well, I need to go home now, I have homework to do and—"
"You as well." Kenta interrupted her.
"Eh?" Yukana squeaked.
"You're coming as well, I heard you're learning too. I want to see what you got."
"…Okay…" Yukana tried very hard not to cry at that point.
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"You told him, didn't you?" Yukana accused Junichi.
"Told him what?" he asked. Yukana crossed her arms, which emphasized her bust. Does she do that on purpose? Junichi looked away, blushing. Yukana grabbed his chin and forced him to look back at her.
"You told him about the martial arts, now I'm going to get my ass kicked." Yukana hissed. Junichi scratched his head in embarrassment.
"I didn't. I told my mother, who most likely told sensei. Those two gossip like you wouldn't believe." Junichi's face soured. "A bit too much if you ask me. I don't care if she's been a widow for several years, he better not try anything with her I swear to god—"
"You guys ready?" Kenta boomed from behind them. Junichi squawked in surprise and turned, his face turning as white as a sheet. Akari and Michelle were watching with interest. Yukana had heard them both mention something about catching her and the others though she didn't really know what they meant.
"Now then… Tanaka, you first." Kenta climbed up onto the ring with Hachi following behind, steeling himself. He was obviously nervous, but it seemed he had gotten over his previous state of panic. He raised his hands and got ready for the bell. "I won't go all out, but if I get you, it will hurt, maybe even bruise, understand?" Kenta warned.
'At least he's somewhat reasonable. Or as reasonable as someone who's going to beat us to a pulp can be.' Yukana thought.
Ding!
Hachi moved, deciding to go on the attack. The same speed that Yukana had seen him use before. He twisted around Kenta's punches and kicks. He lashed out with a kick of his own at Kenta's head, but his massive arm rose to block just in time.
'How the hell is this guy so fast?' Yukana wondered. Hachi leapt back, frowning. Kenta gave a little nod as if to say 'not bad' before he rushed forwards to attack. Hachi ducked out of the way and circled around the larger man. He blocked a swinging punch and elbowed Kenta in the gut, prompting a small grunt from the large man.
"Hmm. I underestimated you." He commented.
Then he moved. Yukana didn't quite see what had happened, but one moment he was standing still, the next Hachi was flung off the ring and into Michelle's arms.
"Thank you…" the effeminate boy wheezed, clutching his stomach. Yukana whipped her head back and forth between Kenta and Hachi.
'What the hell just happened?' she thought. 'No, seriously, he was standing still, then he got flung and what the actual hell!?'
"Nene, you're up." Kenta grunted. Nene huffed and vaulted into the ring. "I know you're a judo user, so I won't hit you. I will slam you into the floor though." Nene gulped, but nonetheless raised her fists and got ready. She rushed in, trying to grab at one of Kenta's arms. Kenta reached for her shoulder, but Nene twisted at the last second and gripped Kenta's wrist, flipping him over her back.
Yukana developed a new level of respect for Nene's powerful strength. That man must be three times her mass and she flipped him like it was nothing. However at the last moment he bent his legs so he hit the floor feet first. He twisted and shoulder charged Nene, flipping her in turn. Nene didn't manage to rescue herself like Kenta did. She scrambled to her feet, wincing as pain shot through her ribs and back. Kenta advanced warily, and Nene went low.
Kenta expected her to go for the arm again but was surprised when she swept his leg out from beneath him and knocked him down. She kneeled on his chest and jabbed his chest.
"Got you!" she sing-songed playfully. Kenta grunted in amusement before getting up and tossing a protesting Nene out of the ring.
"Hey! That wasn't judo, damn it!" she complained.
"Junichi." Kenta called out, ignoring Nene completely. Junichi glanced at Yukana, gave a brief nod before pulling himself up into the ring. He rolled his shoulders and raised his fists. Kenta did the same.
Unlike the others Junichi didn't utilize any specific technique, favouring explosive punches and kicks that could snap people's ribs like twigs if they connected. Yukana had never seen Junichi in a real fight before, so she was shocked at how much speed and power her boyfriend packed. He had definitely been holding back during their sparring sessions.
Kenta however didn't seem particularly bothered as he blocked Junichi's initial flurry of attacks before spotting an opening in Junichi's guard.
POW! Junichi was launched back from a blow that looked like it broke a rib or two. He grunted in pain but managed to get back into the fight. Kenta kicked out but Junichi dodged past it and grabbed the leg. He pulled, forcing Kenta off balance and smashing the large man in the stomach.
Kenta actually showed a bit of pain. He stumbled back, wheezing for breath. Junichi rushed in and ducked back to avoid the roundhouse kick aimed his way. He advanced, and walked into the backwards kick to the solar plexus. Junichi coughed and was lifted into the air by the blow. He landed awkwardly on his feet, gasping for air.
"Ouch." Hachi winced. Yukana shared the sentiment. Junichi was going to bruise later on.
"You alright? Need a second? Good." Kenta charged after giving his 'generous' offer of rest. Junichi lurched to the side, avoiding the first attack and hit Kenta in the ribs, but his attack was weak and he didn't cause a lot of damage. Kenta span around to face Junichi who had managed to get his breath back by then.
Not that it provided a lot of help, because Kenta was relentless and didn't seem to be running out of energy anytime soon.
Eventually after fifteen seconds of violence Junichi was done. He had been slammed into the ground in an arm lock and was hitting his fist on the floor, yelling, "I give in! I give in!" Kenta nodded and got up, helping Junichi get to his feet as well.
As he stumbled down from the ring he winced, rubbing his stomach and ribs.
"Fuck, I forgot how much his punches hurt." He grumbled. Kenta leaned on the ropes of the ring and looked at Yukana.
"Alright, you're up." He rumbled. Yukana gulped. A part of her brain was still unsure about this. She could still back out of this… she doubted the others would look down on her for it.
…No, she couldn't back down. The others took their lumps in this, now it was high time she took hers. She got up into the ring and raised her fists. Kenta gave a deep growl, or was it a thoughtful hum? She still couldn't tell.
"I heard you only did this for a few months, but it was mostly sparring, right?" he asked. Yukana nodded. "Okay, so you should be able to hold your own, but if you're feeling overwhelmed then you can stop." Yukana nodded.
The bell rang, and Kenta advanced, his fists raised like Yukana's. He struck out with a jab. Yukana stepped around it and blocked.
"Good reflexes, but don't tighten up, keep it loose." Kenta advised. Yukana nodded and did as he asked. She circled around him, sending a few jabs and kicks his way. "Don't just keep your stance the same way, change it up. Your guard too. Like this." Kenta switched the arm that was guarding his head and his chest, his arms loose. He almost looked like he was beating a drum with how his arms were moving up and down. "It confuses your opponent. You can't predict them easily when they do this. Like so." He continued to circle around Yukana before suddenly he moved, punching at her head.
Yukana managed to block it but she stumbled back, and was helpless before Kenta's advance.
"Don't just retreat. Circle around or you'll run out of room!" Kenta ordered. Yukana ducked to the side, hitting Kenta in the ribs the same way Junichi did. "Not bad." Kenta grinned approvingly. Yukana allowed herself a small smile and went back into attacking. She raised her foot as if she was going to kick and then went for Kenta's face when his arms dropped to block the attack that wasn't coming. Kenta leaned back from the attack, but got a small graze on his nose. Kenta smirked.
This girl was a natural.
That said however he did spot a lot of weaknesses. She needed a bit of polishing. Perhaps it was time to put the pressure on.
He advanced, pressuring Yukana with several attacks. Yukana tried her best to dodge and block, but a few got through. She dashed to the side, gasping for air. She may be a lot fitter since she became Junichi's girlfriend but dear god this man was relentless, and getting hit took the wind out of her.
Eventually she raised her hand in defeat. Kenta nodded and Yukana promptly fell to her hands and knees, sucking in as much air as she could into her lungs. Junichi ran up into the ring to get to her side, offering her a water bottle.
"You did good, you did good." He assured.
"Oh, shut up." Yukana growled. She was too tired and in too much pain to take a complement at the moment.
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There was one good thing about her participation in the pain festival: Yukana was allowed to return to Junichi's house to indulge in the glory that was the Hashiba Family Fruit Pie. No wonder Kenta was so excited over this, it was pure heaven in her mouth!
Everyone else seemed to agree. Even Kenta had a smile on his face. He spoke mainly to Yukana, asking her about the various happenings with Junichi. She was all too happy to tell him, especially the embarrassing parts.
The embarrassment went even further when baby pictures were involved. Junichi sat on the couch, trying to will the ground into swallowing him whole as Yukana went through each picture with commentary from Rin.
"Oh, that was his first time trying on a gi. He thought the belt was meant to go on the forehead and ran around proclaiming that he was a ninja." Rin explained, showing the picture in question. Yukana cackled like a witch, unable to contain her mirth even though it hurt to laugh at the moment.
They also got a look at the pictures of Kenta's various cats. The amount of squeeing that emanated from the house nearly shattered the windows.
After a while Yukana came across a photo that confused her. It showed a young Junichi, at least ten years old, along with Rin and a man she didn't recognize. He looked very similar to how Junichi looked, possessing the same red hair.
"Who is this?" she asked. Rin sighed while Junichi's expression became solemn.
"That's my dad." He explained. Yukana looked between the mother and son.
"Where is he? I don't think I ever met him before." She asked.
"He died." Junichi replied. Yukana looked horrified, prompting Junichi to continue, "No, no. It's alright. It's been years. I'm over it." He sat back, his expression turning nostalgic. "He was a martial artist, and a good one too. I wanted to be like him when I was young, I still kind of do."
"Kazuya Hashiba was my friend since middle school." Kenta added. "Although we did fight a lot. He kicked my ass each time." Yukana was honestly surprised that anybody could take out Kenta, much less fight him on equal ground.
"Yes, and I'd have to fix the pair of you up." Rin smiled, although there was a faint edge to it.
"Ah, healing romance, I get it." Yukana assumed. "You healed him up and the two of you got interested, that's how it happened right?"
"Uh, no, actually. What started our relationship was when a thief tried to mug me, and I proceeded to list off the names of the bones I broke. He saw the whole thing and was captivated." Rin smiled happily at the memory while Yukana leaned away.
"I thought you were the only non-scary member of the family." She whimpered.
"Oh, darling." Rin placed a hand on Yukana's shoulder, staring at her with a warm and motherly expression that contrasted with the cold edge in her eyes. "We're all mad here."
Yukana gulped.
Kenta left a few hours later, and the next day the group all met together at their usual café.
"So, how'd the beating go?" Yui asked. "Still regretting not clearing out?"
"No, actually. It was a very enlightening experience." Yukana answered. "And we had some nice fruit pie, so that's a plus." Yukana's smile turned sinister. "I also took the liberty of telling Kenta about the two of you, so next time he comes around you two are coming with us." Yui and Ranko paled.
"You know… that reminds me." Nene grinned. She reached into her bag and pulled out… a fly swatter. Ranko's confused expression gave way to fear when she remembered Nene's threat from yesterday. "It's spanking time." Nene cackled. Ranko leapt out of her seat and ran for her life.
"Get back here! You're in for some punishment!" Nene hollered after her girlfriend. Everyone else decided not to comment.
"Well, I'd better get going. I need to pick up my brother from a friend's house." Yui sat up. "Hachi, want to come with?" Hachi blinked in surprise, but then shrugged.
"Okay, sure." He agreed. Yukana turned to Junichi, "We better head off too. We have that homework assignment, remember?" Junichi nodded in agreement. The two left the café and walked down the street, hand in hand.
Junichi couldn't help but feel really happy about his situation. He had a beautiful girlfriend, good friends and a fun life. There was nothing that could ruin his day now.
Of course, the curveball of life had something to say about that.
Yukana suddenly stopped, her eyes widening in recognition. Standing there was a tall guy with messy brown hair. He looked just as surprised as Yukana did.
"Yukana?" the stranger asked. Yukana gaped, but then she smiled.
"No. Way. Is that you Dai?"
I'm sure anyone who's seen the anime knows Dai Mitarai… oh boy. Sorry I took so long to get this out, and to be honest I don't like this chapter too much. I'm kind of running out of steam with this story. I don't want to do multiple stories at once like I used to, but keeping focused is difficult and there are so many things I want to do. I have been kind of looking forward to the Dai Arc, so hopefully I'll be a bit faster and more enthusiastic.