The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: How I Met Your Mother (And How I Met Your Father)
Despair Arc
Chapter Ten: Pool Party and Renewed Training!
Present Day
"So what happened after Father's Day, Mommy?"
"Well, about a month later would have been our summer vacation, but obviously since the Tragedy was still going on, we couldn't go to the beach or anything like that. Though that didn't seem to dissuade your Auntie Hina, who…"
XXX
July 25, 2015
"Come on, everybody!" Eveyrone stopped their conversations and turned to face Hina, who had gotten up from her seat and asked "Why are we just sitting here in the Dining Hall? It's summer vacation for crying out loud!"
Byakuya rolled his eyes and asked "And what is it we're supposed to do? In case you haven't realized it yet, we're still confined within the school. Even if we could go outside, any beaches or water parks are flooded with rioters. Trying to go anywhere would be a suicide mission."
Hina pouted and retorted "Don't be such a grumpy gus, Togami! Even if we can't go anywhere, we still have a pool! So why don't we throw a pool party?!" Seeing everyone stare incredulously at her, Hina whined "Come on, guys! Today's the one-year anniversary of the pol party we threw before summer vacation last year! There's no better day to have a pool party!"
"Hmm…" Sakura pondered "The idea does have merit…"
Flashing back to his memories of swimming with Kyoko before they got together, Makoto smiled and admitted "I agree…a pool party does sound fun right about now."
Having the same thoughts as her boyfriend, Kyoko concurred "I wouldn't be opposed to it; the idea sounds like fun."
Hina grinned and cheered "That's the spirit! Even if we can't swim under the warm sun or the bright blue sky, we can still enjoy ourselves just swimming in the water!"
One by one, everyone came around, agreeing to Hina's proposal, even Celeste who hated having water splashed on her face.
"I suppose a little dip in the shallow end would be a nice distraction."
That left Byakuya and Toko as the only holdouts; the Ultimate Affluent Progeny caved first, sighing "…I suppose I have nothing better to do…" He finished with a smirk "And it would be fun to humiliate you plebians with my superior athletic skill."
With Byakuya in agreement, Toko immediately agreed as well, stuttering "If Ma…Master goes…then I'll go t…too…"
Grinning, Hina cheered "Awesome! Alright everybody; follow me to the locker rooms!"
Everyone sweatdropped as Hina raced out of there, sighing collectively at her enthusiasm before leisurely following the Ultimate Swimming Pro to the pool.
XXX
Déjà vu… Makoto and Kyoko thought as they looked around the room.
There were some differences between their current pool party and the one they had a year ago. Celeste was sitting in the shallow end, isolated from anyone who might splash her. Byakuya was swimming neck and neck with Hina in an energetic contest, with Toko treading on the side cheering for her Master. All in all though, the scene in front of them bore some striking parallels to the pool party they had when things were still peaceful.
Though some things have definitely changed… Kyoko thought as she glanced at her boyfriend. We weren't together back then…and now we're living with each other!
Seeing how distracted he was, Kyoko grinned and made a light wave motion with her hand, splashing water in his face and knocking him out of his trance.
"Agh! Kyoko!" Kyoko giggled, only for Makoto's eyes to blaze in teasing determination as he announced "Oh you're on, Kiri!"
"Agh!" Kyoko flinched from the wave Makoto returned her way, then giggled again as they engaged in a playful splash war. The two giggled and laughed as they splashed water back and forth, forgetting about the Tragedy's existence as they lost themselves in their childish fun.
"Huh?"
Catching a flash of purple out of the corner of his eye, Makoto stopped splashing, turning around to see what it was.
"…Makoto?" Seeing her boyfriend's attention diverted, she stopped splashing and waded over to him asking "What is it, Makoto?"
"…Is that…your Dad?!"
Surely enough, Jin Kirigiri, clad in a pair of purple swim trunks, had just gotten into the pool and was wading his way over to them, a bright smile on his face as he waved at them and greeted "Hi kids!"
Slightly embarrassed, Kyoko asked "Dad, what are you doing here?"
"Hey, I like a good day at the beach too! So when I passed Aoi Asahina in the hallway and she told me that you guys were throwing a pool party, I figured it was a good opportunity for me to go for a swim too."
Kyoko silently nodded in acceptance, while a curious Makoto asked "Ano…did you and Kyoko go to the beach often before her Mom died?"
Kyoko blushed in deeper embarrassment while Jin smiled nostalgically and answered "Yes, actually. Hibiki and I took her to the beach all the time to teach her how to swim. Whenever she learned something new, she would always challenge me to a race in order to beat me."
"Yeah, that sounds like Kyoko alright…" Makoto chuckled as Jin laughed at the memory, causing Kyoko to pout and blush in embarrassment.
Turning to his daughter, Jin asked "Speaking of which, Kyoko, how'd you like to have a swimming race, for old time's sake? I'm kind of intrigued to see how much you picked up from Aoi Asahina."
Her pout disappeared, her lips forming a competitive smirk in its place as the blush vanished from her face, the Ultimate Detective accepting "You're on, Dad."
Nodding, Jin turned to Makoto and offered "Makoto, would you like to join us?"
Makoto scratched his cheek nervously and declined "Oh, ano…I think I'll just be the Judge. I'd lose if I tried to race either of you."
"Suit yourself…" Jin shrugged as they waded to the shallow end of the pool.
Makoto smiled as he saw the mutual playful teasing in their eyes, a far cry from their relationship at the beginning of their time at Hope's Peak Academy.
Kyoko…Headmaster…you guys really are a family again…
XXX
Present Day
"Sounds like you guys had a really fun pool party!"
Kyoko smiled at the memory and confirmed "We did; we lived in a really scary world, but just for one day, we were able to escape it and just be a bunch of teenagers again."
Kiki grinned, happy for her parents before her impatient side won out and she asked "So what happened next, Mommy?"
"Well, the next day, we were eating breakfast when Sakura and Hina approached our table and…"
XXX
July 26, 2015
"Kyoko. May we have a word with you, please?"
Kyoko looked up from her coffee to see Sakura with a serious expression on her face, as well as Hina who stood next to her with a smile on her face.
"Ah, Sakura, Hina, how may I assist you?"
Nodding, Sakura asked "Do you remember when we used to train together last year?"
Kyoko nodded. Truthfully her once weekly sessions with Sakura had become more sporadic once she and Makoto started dating, as she began to prioritize him above her other extracurriculars. And when the Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy had begun with the murder of the Student Council, their sessions had stopped completely.
And yet, she never once thought ill of me for skipping out… "Yes, and I do apologize for not making more of an effort to keep my promise and come every week."
Sakura shook her head and waved off her apology "Don't worry about it; I understand you had your reasons, and you did become stronger, so it's not as if you needed to keep attending every session if you were satisfied with your growth."
"…Then…what made you bring it up?"
Sakura explained "Since our isolation from the outside world, I've been trying to continue my training by using the exercise equipment in the locker rooms. But…it still doesn't offer everything I need to complete my training. I feel like I'm getting weaker by the day…" Sakura grew visibly frustrated as she asked "Am I supposed to just accept that? Accept my atrophy? I…I can't do it…If something doesn't change, I'll…I'll…"
Hina placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder, urging "Sakura, calm down!"
Realizing where she was, Sakura took a deep breath and apologized "My apologies, all of you." Seeing them nod in acceptance, the Ultimate Martial Artist continued "Anyway, I would appreciate it if you would join me and Hina for our daily sparring sessions after breakfast. Of course, if you and Makoto have plans on a given day, I won't ask you to prioritize…"
"It's okay, Sakura." The three girls turned to Makoto who explained "I get to see Kyoko nearly every hour of every day. I don't mind if she wants to go spar with you for a little bit in the morning."
"Makoto…" Kyoko smiled at his thoughtfulness before turning back to Sakura and nodding "Sure, I'd be happy to. At the very least, I'd have something to do during the day, and I could keep up my physical performance that I developed last year."
Sakura smiled appreciatively and replied "Thank you, then…"
"Can I join too?"
Everyone turned to see Chihiro of all people nervously walking up to them, their eyes widening in surprise as he explained "I…I had become a little bit stronger when I was training with Sakura. But after we stopped when the Student Council was murdered…I…I couldn't even carry one of the metal plates by myself. I don't…I don't want to fight…but if you guys are doing a general exercise routine…I'd like to get stronger again…so…"
Sakura smiled at Chihiro and told him "We'd be happy to help you, Chihiro. I'm sure Hina can help you with general exercise while Kyoko and I spar."
An idea coming to her, Kyoko turned to her boyfriend and offered "Makoto…why don't you come and help Chihiro train."
"HUH?!" Makoto gaped as he processed what his girlfriend was suggesting to him. "Me? But…I'm at the bottom rung of masculinity! I'd just slow you all down…"
"Come on, Makoto!" Hina urged "If Chihiro can join us, you certainly can too!"
Chihiro nodded in agreement "Yeah, you're way stronger than me, Makoto!"
"Everyone…" Seeing he was outnumbered, he caved and sighed "…Alright, I'll try…just don't blame me if you regret it later."
We'd never regret having you join us, Makoto… Turning her attention back to Sakura, Kyoko asked "So, when do we start our training sessions?"
Nodding, Sakura suggested "I was thinking we could start on the first of August; a new routine with a new month."
"In that case, do you have room for one more?"
Everyone turned to see Mukuro Ikusaba walking over to them, confusion in their eyes as they wondered why Mukuro wanted to join in on their sparring/exercise sessions.
"Oh, hi Mukuro." Makoto greeted with a soft smile and a wave.
Mukuro nodded before Sakura addressed her "I don't object to you joining our exercise sessions if you wish, Mukuro. I am surprised though; not once in the past year have you ever expressed any interest in exercising with any of us."
"…All of my past exercise routines have depended on resources outside of Hope's Peak Academy. Since we're trapped inside the school for the time being however…"
"…Ah, so you've been feeling restless without any way to exercise your Ultimate Soldier talents…"
Mukuro nodded and confirmed Sakura's guess "That's right, and I'd like to be in peak fighting condition so I can protect Junko in case anything happens. But since I can't go to most of my usual dojos for weapons practice…"
Nodding in understanding, Sakura asked "What do the rest of you think?"
Makoto, being the boy who wanted to include everybody, suggested "I don't mind if she comes."
Chihiro nodded in agreement "Yeah, the more the merrier."
Hina spoke next, agreeing "Sure, I don't mind."
All eyes fell to Kyoko and her answer. Unlike the others, she felt conflicted; Mukuro had been a valuable partner when Makoto's life had been in danger, and even if they weren't friends, they were at least comfortable around each other. On the other hand, Mukuro's request had come rather out of the blue, and she couldn't shake the feeling that the Ultimate Soldier had some ulterior motive for asking to join them.
Maybe I'm overthinking this…and she must be skilled as the Ultimate Soldier, so sparring with her would be a good way to improve my own capabilities… At last Kyoko nodded "…I don't see the harm with letting Ikusaba join."
Nodding, Sakura declared "Then it's decided; we'll all meet in the gymnasium on August 1st right after breakfast. Have a good day everyone."
Sakura, Hina, Chihiro, and Mukuro went their separate ways, leaving Makoto and Kyoko alone at their table.
Makoto smiled nervously, leaving Kyoko to return it with a reassuring one, soothing his anxiousness about exercising with her. With a mixture of unease and excitement, they looked forward to this new addition to their school life within the walls of Hope's Peak Academy.
XXX
August 1, 2015
"Thank you all for coming." Sakura greeted as Makoto, Kyoko, Hina, Chihiro, and Mukuro stood in front of her, the six of them now changed into what used to be their P.E. uniforms.
As the five classmates nodded in greeting, Makoto asked "So ano…how are we going to all train together?"
Sakura turned to Hina and asked "Hina, since Makoto and Chihiro have no interest in combat training, perhaps you could lead them in a general exercise routine?"
"You got it, Sakura!" Turning to the two boys, Hina's expression changed to a determined grin as she directed "Alright boys, let's start with ten laps around the perimeter. We'll go at a jogging pace, so just follow me and you'll do fine. Chop chop!"
As they broke into a light jog, Sakura suggested "Let's move to the center so we give them plenty of room." Nodding, Kyoko and Mukuro followed Sakura to the center of the gym before she suggested "Alright, since there's three of us, why don't we do a rotation structure? Two of us will spar for five minutes at a time and the third will stand by as a judge to intervene if one of us falls down. Does that sound agreeable?"
Kyoko and Mukuro shared a nod, then turned to Sakura as Kyoko asked "We have no complaints, but how do we decide the rotation order?"
Sakura hummed, pondering the question before opening her eyes and suggesting "How about this? Kyoko can judge me and Mukuro, then Mukuro can judge me and Kyoko, and finally I can judge Kyoko and Mukuro. Does that sound fair?"
Kyoko and Mukuro nodded, then wordlessly got into position, Mukuro standing a few feet away from Sakura as both fighters took their initial stances. Meanwhile, Kyoko stood a few feet to the side, equidistant between them.
Raising her hand, Kyoko declared "On three. One…two…THREE!"
XXX
"Come on boys! Just twenty more pushups to go!"
Makoto and Chihiro groaned, struggling to push their bellies off the floor and up with the rest of their bodies.
"No groaning! You'll never get the gold medal with an attitude like that!"
Come on, Hina! We can barely even move! Makoto thought as he stole a glance at the center where Kyoko was sparring with Mukuro. I'll never understand how Kyoko got fit enough to fight; I can't even do Hina's pushup practice!
Said Ultimate Swimming Pro interrupted his thoughts, yelling like a drill sergeant "No slacking, Naegi! You can ogle your girlfriend later. You still have pushups to do, on the double!"
Makoto let out a sigh as he struggled to push himself up in rhythm with Chihiro, their arms feeling like jelly as they tried to finish Hina's torturous exercise.
For her part, Kyoko was locked in a heated duel with Mukuro. She may have been weaponless, but she had clearly demonstrated during her match with Sakura that she didn't need a weapon to hold her own against a skilled martial artist. And now Kyoko finding out just how skilled Mukuro Ikusaba was firsthand.
Damn! This is just like the fight with Fukuka all over again! Kyoko thought, annoyed as Mukuro blocked her punch with her forearm before launching her right foot into the air. I can barely dodge her attacks! Kyoko realized as she made a tactical retreat, Mukuro's foot just a hair away from colliding with her nose.
Seizing an opportunity as Mukuro's foot came back down, Kyoko roundhouse kicked with her right foot, only for Mukuro to raise her foot just above Kyoko's line of attack until her heel passed, letting her heel fall back to the ground and reestablishing her root.
Every time I exploit a weakness in her form, she's always one step ahead of me! How do I possibly fight against someone like…
"TIME!"
Kyoko and Mukuro fell on their rears, panting as their fatigue started to catch up with them.
Sakura smiled as she walked over to them, kneeling beside them and giving them a congratulatory clap on the back, praising "Good job, ladies. That was a truly intense spar!"
Kyoko and Mukuro nodded in agreement, Kyoko forced to admit "You're…good, Ikusaba. I can see why they call you the Ultimate Soldier."
"…Thank you. You were a difficult opponent as well, Kirigiri. Not many can block all of my attacks like you and Ogami did."
"Oww…"
Whatever response Kyoko might have had was interrupted as Makoto and Chihiro's groans were heard across the gym. Turnign their gaze to a far corner, they saw the two boys collapsed on the floor, panting as Hina took her role as Coach a little too seriously.
"Up and at 'em, slowpokes! You won't even win a bronze medal with that kind of performance."
"But Hina…I can't move an inch!" Makoto protested.
"Yeah…me neither…I'm just not strong enough to keep up with you…I'm sorry…" Chihiro agreed.
The remaining three girls sweatdropped as they stood up, Sakura suggesting "Come on, let's make sure Hina doesn't end up sending them to the Nurse's Office, shall we?"
XXX
Makoto sighed in pleasure, sitting on his bed between Kyoko's legs as she sat behind him, the boy shirtless as his girlfriend rubbed and massaged his aching back and shoulders.
"Ahh…that hits the spot…" Makoto moaned as he leaned back into her touch, feeling his aches melt away. "Thanks for offering to do this for me, Kyoko…"
Kyoko smiled as she gently pressed her thumbs into his neck and replied "You deserved a little reward after working so hard…though Hina really wore you and Chihiro out, huh? I'll…talk to her about putting you two through a less intense workout for now…the last thing I want is for you to break your back or tear a muscle."
Makoto chuckled before he replied "Thanks…Hina's just so energetic, and my physical strength is too average to take something that intense right off the bat." Kyoko normally didn't like when Makoto sold himself short by calling himself average, but in this case she couldn't really disagree with him, so she held her tongue and rubbed soothing circles into his spine as Makoto asked "So…how was sparring with Sakura and Mukuro? You looked really cool from what I saw, being able to keep pace with them like that…"
Makoto's question and compliment made her pause. While her cheeks flushed from being flattered, she was reminded of just how ferocious Mukuro was on the battlefield.
Before Makoto could ask what was wrong, Kyoko answered "Sakura was a skilled combatant, as expected. It's little wonder that she's earned the title of Ultimate Martial Artist. Mukuro…is no slouch either…I couldn't even land a solid hit on her. Neither could Sakura for that matter; she's definitely earned her title as Ultimate Soldier."
"Still, the fact that you kept pace with the both of them…you're amazing, Kyoko!"
Kyoko blushed and remarked "Well…thank you…" Despite her heart fluttering at Makoto's words, she still felt uneasy, thinking to herself I don't honestly care if Sakura's stronger than me. I trust her not to hurt me. Ikusaba though…I can't put my finger on it, but something about her just makes my hair stand on end. I hope that I'm wrong, but if I'm right to be on edge around her…then I need to make sure I can stand up to her if the need presents itself.
She stared down at Makoto, who almost seemed to recline against her, reminding her that he trusted her with his life and his health as .
Makoto's life may very well hang in the balance if I'm right…
XXX
Present Day
"Auntie Hina was really that tough, Daddy? She was never like that when I had swimming lessons with her."
Kyoko answered for her husband, explaining "Kiki, keep in mind that you were four when you started swimming with Auntie Hina. Your Father on the other hand was eighteen; Auntie Hina had a different expectation of his and Chihiro's physical capabilities. Plus, Auntie Hina's energetic side had mellowed out as she got older, so she didn't get carried away with teaching you. And even if she did, your Father and I were always there, so we could step in if things did get too intense."
Kiki nodded in understanding and accepted "Okay, Mommy…" before grinning and gushing "but you were really good against Sakura and Mukuro! I really wish I could have seen it! It sounded so cool!"
Kyoko smiled as she listened to her daughter idolize her capabilities, while Makoto grinned and ruffled Kiki's hair, agreeing "That's right, Kiki…your Mom is one of the best fighters out there!"
Kyoko giggled and replied "Thanks you two…alright Kiki, it's bedtime."
"Aww…" Kiki moaned, but nevertheless complied, wiggling into bed as her parents tucked her in and kissed her good night.
Once her snores were heard, Makoto and Kyoko quietly crept out, Makoto closing the door behind them as they retired to their room for the evening.
