Disclaimer: Ya da…ya da…ya da… The usual disclaimer that everyone's annoyed about applies. Slam Dunk does not belong this lazy neko, and it'll never be, 'cos Takehiko Inoue sensei is its rightful owner! But…the OC's are mine and mine only! Bwahahahahahaha~ :D K…so what if this neko's a loony? Hahahahahaha~ :P =^.^=
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10Q to everyone who reviewed! :D *bows* Doumo! ^_^
December morning owl - Here's another long overdue update ^_^;; Hmmm…how many chappies more to this fic? You want an honest answer? I have no idea~ :P but…hopefully I can finish it in not more than 5 more chapters? *fingers crossed* ^_~
Unquestionable - Wah~ where did you disappeared to arh? Missed you ne!!! :P Anyways, here's the next chappy, hope u'll like it ne ;)
Iluvenis Telperien - Eddie!!! *huggles* How are you arh?? :D Oooo…and thank you for your comments ne *blushes* er…don't think you can see the blush under all that fur on my face rite? Meow~ :P hehehe =^.^= Anyways, thank you once again, and I hope you'll enjoy this chappy ne ;)
sLL - Hello~ n 10x for reviewing ne :D and yeaps…the climax is due… sort of :P hehehe…
Rheia - 10Q! I always appreciate the reviews I get from readers ^_^ so, the length of the reviews are not important at all ;) and…here's the next chappy, hope u'll like it ^_^ cheers~
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NB: "…" Character's speech
… Character's Thoughts
(…) See neko's notes…
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~ Chapter Six – Liberation of the Shadow's Heart ~
"What is going on?" The fight before them flabbergasted Genji and a couple of kendou club members who had just finished extra practice. They watched the professional fight wide-eyed. They were even more stunned when Miei removed her disguises.
Yano, the junior who had handled Miei's bokken before gasped inwardly when he saw her drew Aoi-Tsuki out of its encasement. No wonder that bokken was unusually heavy…there's a real katana inside!
Genji on the other hand were both stunned and relieved. He was startled by the skills Miei possessed, and relieved in the sense that Miei had not gone all out when he challenged her to the numerous fights. For he now knew that if she hadn't held back, he would've been kill. Her words echoed in his head. A sword is a weapon. Kenjutsu is the art of killing. Pretty words maybe used to beautify its art, but you can never deny its true nature. Kendou was born from Kenjutsu, and what I have studied all my life is in fact Kenjutsu, not kendou… You lack a humble heart. With that, you will never be able to reach the summit of Kenjutsu. That is why you will never be able to defeat me. In some ways, his pride was now more trampled then before; but he could do nothing to rebuild it, for he now knew that his imaginary foe was not one whom he can defeat.
The other kendou member was the kendou club's vice-captain, Nakaki. He was more aghast by the fact that their assistant coach was a girl than the fact that she possessed such astonishing skills. By the looks of things, she is not an ordinary person… He frowned.
Just as Miei and Murasaki were about to start their fight, a group of males armed with katanas and firearms rushed into Shohoku's grounds. The male and female who came with Murasaki quickly moved toward the newcomers to block their interference with the fight that was about to commence.
The woman, Midori dressed in dark green held up her katana to the group. She narrowed her eyes gravely, "This is a fight between those two. If anyone dares to interfere with the fight, they'll have to get through me first."
The man, Shiro smiled at the group and eyed their leader, a man in his twenties dressed in a silver trimmed black hakama with pretend joviality. "Akino Asato. Fancy seeing you here."
Asato glared at Shiro and hissed. "I don't know what you are planning Shiro, but let me make this clear. If you dare to hurt Miei, I will make sure all of you will be carried out of here as corpses."
"My, my, such bold words." Shiro sneered. "Anyone can say words that are impractical."
Asato pursed his lips and did not reply. A small ridiculing smile graced his lips soon, "We'll just have to see about that, won't we?"
"I guess we will…" Shiro replied thoughtfully.
At that moment, a gust of wind swept across them, rustling the tree leaves as the last of the sunlight disappeared into the horizon. As if on cue, Miei and Murasaki drew their katanas and began their spar. The few lonely streetlamps provided minuscule amount of light, but it was enough for them to see the two fighters' silhouette and the eerie blue glow of the clashing blades.
Miei…kiwotsukete (1)! Don't get yourself hurt. Onegai… Kaede pleaded silently as he watched the fight intensified before his eyes. With each clanging sound made by the blades, his heart's anxiousness amplified another notch. His usually droopy kitsune eyes were wide-awake for once, but those cerulean gems were filled with worry.
The Sakuragi Gundan was mesmerized by the battle. They were well-known and good fighters themselves, but this was the first time they lay eyes on fighters, iie, warriors of such calibre. They were astounded, and they understood the fight before them could bring about the death of either warrior in a wink of the eye if one of them lost their concentration. Each clenched his fists unconsciously out of concern for their friend, and from hypnotic affects of the fight.
However, the fight ended unexpectedly. As Miei swung Aoi-Tsuki in attempts to injure Murasaki, Murasaki did not dodge her strike. Instead, he dropped his katana and opened his arms wide, receiving the blow directly. Aoi-Tsuki pierced through Murasaki's abdominal region. Due to the force Miei placed on the strike, Aoi-Tsuki's blade slanted and made a deeper, longer gash in Murasaki's body. The colour of scarlet blinded Miei as Murasaki's wound opened and blood spilt like a fountain, discolouring her haori.
Everyone present stared at the scene in horror. Never have they thought that the fight would end this way. Miei dropped Aoi-Tsuki to the ground as Murasaki's body fell to the floor. She too fell to the ground in shock soon after. Her eyes glazed over due to the shock. She then lifted her head and looked at the severely injured assassin vacantly.
"Doushite?" Miei trembled as her whitened lips opened. "You could've dodged that. Why didn't you?"
Murasaki struggled to sit up but his efforts were quickly gone in vain. He lay back down and laughed. "Hahaha…" He coughed and scarlet slipped from his mouth as the blood refluxed through his esophageus. But he ignored the metallic taste and continued laughing, a heart wrenching laugh.
Miei stared at him vacantly, and continued to ask why. "Doushite? DOUSHITE!?"
"Hahaha… Because I owed you, that why. Hahaha…" He rolled to his good side and lifted his head slightly to see her face. A sad smile curled his lips and his brown eyes softened. "It's time to let go, Miei. Let it all go. Don't hold on to the pass anymore. Live again Miei, be that carefree girl I knew once more."
"Toshiya… TOSHIYA!" Miei got up and rushed to Murasaki's side as tears slit down from her eyes. She pulled him into an embrace, disregarding the blood that was damaging her clothes. Pulling out a few acupuncture needles, she pricked them into his pressure points in efforts to stop his bleeding. But…it was to no avail.
Murasaki Toshiya placed a hand on Miei's trembling ones and smiled. "Promise me…live again… Let me take the burden off your shoulders… Free your heart again…"
Tears fell from Miei's eyes like broken strings of pearls. "You've planned this all a long haven't you? You've planned to die by my hands. How could you leave like this? How could you leave me like this!?"
Toshiya just smiled warmly at her and shook his head. "You know why. And I'm not leaving you; I'll always be with you in spirit." He reached up and placed his hand on her scar. "Does…does it still hurt? I didn't…mean to hurt you like this; I love you…too much to be so…so cruel towards you… But…I had no choice… I…"
Miei put a finger over his whitening lips and smiled. "Shh… It doesn't hurt anymore, and I forgive you. I forgave you long ago…"
"Arigatou…" He mumbled as he coughed again.
A pale-faced Midori stumbled over and knelt beside Murasaki. "Ni-san…"
"Gomen ne, Midori... I promised tou-san and kaa-san that…that I'll always take…take care of you…but I'm afraid I…won't be able to do that anymore."
Midori shook her head frantically as tears started to blur her vision. "Iie…"
"Midori…" Shiro who had walked over to them said softly. He placed a hand on her shoulders in comfort.
Toshiya looked up and smiled at his brother-like friend. "Shiro…, I leave Midori…in your care from now on..."
Shiro knelt down and took the dying man's hand. He nodded firmly. "I will."
"Thank you." Toshiya smiled thankfully at Shiro. He turned his head back to Miei. "Be…be happy from now on, k? Yakusoku?"
Miei struggled to smile and nodded. "Hai, yakusoku."
"Ne, watashi wa…netaidesu yo… (2)" Toshiya mumbled as a blithe smile clung to his lips. Slowly, his brown eyes closed and they were never to open again.
Miei smiled down at him and bent over to place a chaste kiss on his cold lips. "Oyasumi Toshiya."
"Ni-san…" Midori broke down and cried as Shiro pulled her into his embrace. Shiro closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "Sayonara, my friend, my brother."
While everyone was still trying to get over the shock, Shiro turned to Asato. "Riku Dou's headquarter is situated at the lower basement of Club Musouka at Ginza."
Asato was taken aback by the information Shiro provided. "Why have you told me this? Isn't it against Riku Dou's policy to disclose the whereabouts of your HQ?"
Shiro ran a hand through his hair and smiled. "Well, yea, but…who cares? I've had it with Riku Dou anyways." He shrugged nonchalantly.
Asato raised an eyebrow inquisitively. He then smiled at his counterpart. "Thank you Shiro. I'll make sure you and Midori will never be troubled by Riku Dou again."
Shiro winked at Asato and raised a thumb at him. He then turned to kneel beside Miei, Midori and Toshiya again. "Miei, we need to take him away and let your people clean up the place before the cops are alarmed."
Miei looked up at him with swollen red eyes. She nodded and passed Toshiya into Shiro's arms. "Good bye Toshiya…" She whispered and watched Shiro and Midori walked into the dark curtains of the night.
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Kaede watched the events unfold emotionlessly. When Miei ran to Murasaki's side and cried over him, his heart immediately pained for her unfortunate encounters and…jealousy. He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles whitened. He finally blew his cool when she kissed Murasaki. He was about to walk up to the small group when a firm grip held him back. It was Hanamichi.
"Leave them alone kitsune." Hanamichi said solemnly.
Kaede glanced at the red head and remained where he was. Yes, there is no need for me to get jealous over a dead guy.
Miei picked herself up from the ground and kept staring into the night emptily. Kaede walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder consolingly. She turned and smiled at him, a heartfelt smile he had not seen from her before. Despite of that horrendous scar on her face, that smile of hers lit up her whole being, which made people forget about the scar. Before Kaede could recover from the stupor he allowed himself to fall into after seeing her smile, she mouthed thank you to him silently then her body wavered and plummeted to the ground due to exhaustion of both heart and body. Kaede was able to catch her by the shoulders just before she hit the ground.
"Miei!" Asato rushed over as his cousin fell unconscious. He knelt beside Kaede and Miei as he made a quick check on her. He let out a sigh of relieve and smile at Kaede, "She's just exhausted. She'll be fine."
Kaede nodded and heaved a sigh of relieve silently. He looked at Asato and asked, "You are a Kaku Dou Shi?"
"Hai." Asato switched to a half-kneeling position in front of Kaede and began, "Geboku, Akino Asato at your service youkun."
"So…you're one of the top cadres of Kaku Dou." Kaede nodded.
"Err…yea…" Asato smiled and scratched his head absentmindedly.
"So, what now?" Kaede asked as he darted glances at the Sakuragi Gundan and Genji and Co. "They've seen a lot tonight."
Asato closed his eyes briefly as if in thoughts. "We will take care of everything; you don't have to worry youkun. But the first thing we need to do now is get Miei out of here and back to Kaku Dou."
Kaede nodded and Asato motioned one of his group members to come forward. "Iijima here will escort you and Miei back to Kaku Dou."
"Please come this way youkun." Iijima gestured. Kaede followed Iijima to the car that was waiting outside with Miei in his arms.
When they'd left, Asato turned to the bystanders and smiled. "Well kids, that's all for tonight. Thank you for watching and before you go, just remember to erase tonight's events from your heads. Just treat it as an action-packed dream."
"Nani!? No one tells the tensai what to do!" Hanamichi growled.
Everyone sweat-dropped at Hanamichi's outburst. Youhei couldn't help but shook his head at his friend's antics. He grabbed hold of Hanamichi's arm and urged the others to follow. "Let's go guys, there's no need for us to stay here any longer." He then turned to the kendou club members, "You guys should go too, and forget about what had happened here tonight."
Just as the Sakuragi Gundan were about to walk out of Shohoku, Youhei turned slightly to face Genji and sneered, "You know Genji, your really are one lucky duck. I'd say you've finally see how lame you were when you challenged a true kenkaku to a match."
Genji pursed his lips but did not say anything. He stormed off before anyone else did to nurse his extremely wounded pride. When the gundan walked pass Asato, Hanamichi stopped briefly. "Take care of them will ya?"
Asato nodded and smiled. "Of course."
Hanamichi smiled at him and walked off with his gundan. When the students were gone, Asato began to direct his group members with the subsequent clean up of the now stained Shohoku grounds. The clean up crew was a fast working bunch. They had the place cleaned and restored to normal in less than an hour. Once Asato was satisfied with the work, he ordered everyone to file out and return to Kaku Dou's headquarter in Tokyo.
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Kaede sat opposite Akino Kaii and watched the elder performed the sadou (3) in perfection. He and Miei arrived at Kaku Dou under an hour ago under Iijima's escort. He had carried her into her room, where Kaku Dou's servants and on site physicians were waiting to look after their young mistress. The doctors had declared her to be fit except for over-exhaustion. Kaede and the doctors left her room when the maids began to clean her soiled garments.
"Douzo." Kaii handed the cup of freshly made tea to Kaede and bowed slightly.
Kaede bowed in return of respect and took the cup with his right hand. Placing the cup into his left hand, he then held the cup with both hands, turning the cup clockwise twice before drinking the tea. Once he had finished the tea, he turned it anticlockwise twice before placing it back on the tatami in front of him.
"Doumo arigatou gozaimashita. Kono ocha wa oishi desu yo." Kaede commented softly.
Kaii laughed jovially and nodded. "It is my pleasure to have you as a guest, youkun."
"Iie, the pleasure is mine." Kaede let a small smile graced his lips.
This was the first time he met Kaii again after so many years. He remembered the last time he saw the old man, he only nine years old. Although Kaii had aged somewhat over the years, his dark eyes were still as sharp as Kaede remembered. Sharp like those of an eagle. Kaede felt that those eyes were able to see through anyone's hearts, which unnerved him slightly.
"I believe you have some questions for me, youkun?" Kaii asked directly, trying to get rid of some of the uneasiness Kaede was feeling.
Kaede cocked an eyebrow at the elderly gentleman. He then decided to skip all formalities and get straight to the point. "Tell me about Miei. About what happened between her and Murasaki."
Kaii nodded as he observed his young master closely. Before he answered Kaede's question, he smiled knowingly and asked, "Answer me this first. Are you in love with my granddaughter?"
"Hai." Kaede answered without thinking. His tone solemn.
Kaii nodded. "Now, my next question is why do you love her? She is not a member of the high society nor is she beautiful. Even without that scar on her face, she only possesses an ordinary face with nothing distinct."
"Her sorrows." Kaede looked Kaii in the eye and said, "It was her sorrow that drew me to her. Although she hid it well in front of everyone, there were still times when she showed it unconsciously. That sorrow I felt from her broke my heart. I wanted to comfort her, to shield her from anything that may do her harm. I don't know when, but when I noticed, I've already fallen for her."
"Then I trust you're not afraid of the scar on her face." Kaii smiled sincerely at the boy who nodded in reply. "Very well then, I will tell you what happened three years ago…"
~.::.~.::.~.::.~ Flashback ~.::.~.::.~.::.~
"You're jii-san's new student, aren't you?" A fifteen-year-old girl with waist length black hair asked the handsome twenty-four year-old male who was practicing kendou against a wooden target curiously. Her large black eyes blinked a few times and watched him with fascination. He was a really good at what he was doing. One of the best she had seen.
Murasaki Toshiya stopped practicing when he heard the silver-bell like voice and turn to look at the young girl. At first glance, she looked just like any other girls he had seen before. But when he saw her eyes, he was mesmerized by those depthless black pools, as if he was falling into an endless pit. His heart raced irrationally.
"Who…are you?" He asked slowly as he continued to stare into her eyes.
She blushed under his intense gaze. "My name is Miei. What's yours?" She asked shyly.
"Miei…" Toshiya smiled softly. "You're sensei's granddaughter right? My name is Murasaki Toshiya."
"Murasaki Toshiya…" Miei mouthed his name repeatedly then smiled brightly at him. "Can I call you Toshi then?"
Toshiya frowned slightly, "I prefer Toshiya in full ne."
"OK, I'll call you Toshiya then." Miei beamed at her newfound friend.
Toshiya smiled. Her bright, carefree smiles had influenced him to smile blithely for the first time in many years. From that moment, Miei had entered his heart and he lived to make her happy. He pampered her with little gifts that always brought out the brightest smiles from her, even though they were invaluable. The two of them soon became the hottest gossip in Kaku Dou, and everyone was eager to see them tie the knot when Miei turned sixteen the next fall.
However, the happy times did not last long. Riku Dou picked the worse of times to attack its nemesis, Kaku Dou. At that time, Kaii had fallen ill with pneumonia, leaving Kaku Dou in command by the inexperienced Akino Heiji, Miei's father. A fierce battle broke out between the two organizations. Miei was traumatized when she found out Toshiya was a spy from Riku Dou. Her heart broke instantly. When she saw the Riku Dou assassins killed her parents in front of her eyes, she lost what little self-control she had left and killed any Riku Dou assassins that dared to cross her path.
Toshiya was heart broken when he saw the state she was in and tried to stop her from further carnage by fighting against his love. It was then when he was force to injure her to wake her from the tranced state she was in. It was then that he saw hate and coldness in her usually warm, glistening eyes for the first time. After striking a direct blow to her face, leaving a scar on it, he knocked her unconscious in attempts to protect her from being found and killed by the other assassins, and he was successful in doing so.
Miei survived the battle between the two organizations. When she recovered from her injuries, a totally different personality emerged. She was cold, heartless, and vowed to avenge her parents' death by ending Toshiya's life with her hands….
~.::.~.::.~.::.~ End of Flashback ~.::.~.::.~.::.~
Kaede clenched and unclenched his fists as he heard Miei's story. His heart pained for her misfortunes, wishing that there were a way to erase all the unpleasant memories of her past, to heal her injured heart. But he knew he was not the person for the job because it took the person who injured her to heal her, and that was Murasaki. Murasaki had freed Miei from her nightmares when he took his last breath earlier that night. Although he was not able to ease her of past heartaches, the kitsune silently vowed to make her smile from now on, chasing any remaining darkness out of her life, making sure that she does not cry another tear in the days to come.
Kaede look up from his clenched fists and look Kaii in the eye. "Do you approve of me then, Kaii-jii san?"
Kaii smiled weakly. "This is not my decision to make, young lord. It will be Miei's decision. It is entirely up to you to convince and make her accept you as her companion. It all comes down to you."
The raven head frowned. "But she's unreasonably stubborn. She kept putting a barrier between us by talking about the honour between a master and a servant, and it's driving me nuts!"
"Then you have not tried hard enough." Kaii said and took a sip of tea. "Put in more efforts and make her see your heart's intention, your love for her, and she will succumb. She may look like a tough-cookie, but her heart is in fact softer than a teddy bear. So…ganbatteru yo youkun. I believe you can break through her defences and win her heart."
"Doumo arigatou for the advice Kaii-jii san." Kaede bowed and smiled at the old man.
"Doitashimashita (4) youkun. And if I am correct, which I always am, you will soon become my inzoku magomusuko (5) ne?" Kaii winked at the kitsune mischievously.
Kaede blushed as Kaii broke out into a hearty laugh at the sight of the embarrassment of the young man.
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The next morning, Miei awoke to find herself in her own bed. She immediately understood what had happened after the events at Shohoku. She sighed heavily and moisture began to gather in her eyes. She quickly blinked the fresh moisture away, too proud to let more tears fall for the person who had hurt her most. Although so, she was still thankful to have met him in the first place, for it was he who taught her to love and what happiness was.
She got out of bed and walked to her wardrobe to pick out some garments before walking into the bathroom. She took a shower to refresh herself and put on a cream kimono before stepping out of the bathroom. After she tended to her hair, she plopped herself onto the numerous cushions by the windowsill and stared into the gardens. Thoughts and memories flashed across her mind's eyes and a sad but gentle smile curled her lips. The ice she encased her heart in had melted and the wounds were beginning to mend. She no longer felt hate toward Toshiya because she now knew that he had suffered too, as much as she did throughout the whole ordeal. Last night she had made him a promise to walk away from the shadows of the past and re-enter the light of the living world. A promise, which she intended to keep. Upon that thought, a bright smile that had been lost for three years returned to her.
Suddenly, a soft knock sounded on her door. She turned to reply, "Douzo."
When the door slide open, Kaede's tall figure came into view. She smiled brightly at him, stinging his cerulean eyes. "Ohayou youkun. Kono asa, genki (6)?"
Kaede was dumbfounded by her sudden change of character. He stood there like a frozen statue, gaping at the new Miei in front of him. A Miei who seemed to be so carefree that even if the world were to collapse at that moment, she wouldn't care less…
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akane の teahouse
Harlo everyone~ :)
So…what d'ya think about this chappy ne? ;) Hope you guys liked it :)
And now…for the Jap terms :P
(1) Kiwotsukete - take care
(2) Netaidesu - want to sleep
(3) Sadou - tea ceremony
(4) Doitashimashita - you're welcomed
(5) Inzoku magomusuko - grandson in law
(6) Kono asa, genki? - Are you feeling fine this morning?
Think that's about it ;) Cyas~ Oh…n dun 4get to drop me review ne ^_~ Cheers~ :D
The Lazy Neko singing out…