What's Wrong With A Draw?
When Sanosuke stepped out of the ring, Kaoru resisted the urge to hug him as hard as she could. She doubted that the ex-gangster would appreciate it. He stumbled as she approached him, and had to catch her shoulder for balance. Kaoru nodded to him, moved so that she was directly against his right side and patted him on the back. "Well done," was all she dared to say- as it was, Kaoru was afraid that simply touching Sanosuke was too sentimental for him.
Sanosuke smiled down at her and put an arm around her shoulders. Only someone paying very close attention would know that he was using her for support. "When does Yahiko sword fight?" Sanosuke wanted to know.
"In a few minutes," Kaoru answered, guiding Sanosuke through the crowd to an unoccupied bench.
"I want to watch the kid," Sanosuke told her.
"I'm not stopping you," Kaoru replied. "We have time to sit for a bit before he fights, so take advantage of it. You've been standing ever since you got here this morning."
Sanosuke obeyed and sighed.
"That Isaka guy sure was a cheater," Kaoru commented, sitting down beside her friend. "I guess he learned his lesson fighting you."
"I should have caught on to his trick sooner," Sanosuke narrowed his eyes. "I heard the clang of my knuckles against metal the first time I punched him, but thought that the sound was in my head."
"That breast plate looked like it was two inches thick. If it was pressed up against his skin-"
"His flab," Sanosuke corrected.
Kaoru waved a hand to acknowledge the correction, smiling, "the vibrations of the metal would have decreased drastically."
"That's no excuse for me," Sanosuke sighed. "Kaoru, there's something I need to talk with you about."
"I'm listening," Kaoru told him.
Sanosuke stared off into space for a moment, then turned his intense gaze back on her. "I didn't mean to be late this morning. I-"
"Don't worry about it, Sanosuke. You got here in time, that's what matters," Kaoru said quickly. She didn't feel like another argument with Sanosuke right now.
"But the reason I was late-" Sanosuke tried again.
"It doesn't matter, Sanosuke," Kaoru told him. "Forget about it- oh, Yahiko's up." She turned to Sanosuke and offered him a hand. He stared at her with wide eyes, looking like he was about to say something else, then apparently changed his mind. He ignored her and and stood on his own, but draped his arm around her shoulders again.
Kaoru and Sanosuke elbowed their way through the crowd to watch Yahiko's kendo match. This competition went much the same way Yahiko's last one had. His opponents were weaklings and clutzes who fell over their own feet and didn't land a blow on Yahiko. Kaoru cheered her apprentice on until he took first place in his division then did some rapid calculations in her head.
"Sanosuke!" She said suddenly.
"What's wrong?" he asked sharply.
"Nothing's wrong! Something might be great," Kaoru grinned up at him. "The school whose competitor takes first place in a contest gets three points, second gets two and third gets one. So far the Kamiya Dojo has taken first places in seven events. That means we have twenty-one points!"
"I CAN do simple multiplication you know," Sanosuke looked insulted.
"That puts us in first place!" Kaoru told him. "There's only one other school that's close to us, with nineteen points and no one else with more. If I win my sword fighting division the best any other school can do is tie with us!"
Sanosuke made a face. "It's better to lose than to tie."
"No it's not," Kaoru snapped. "Why are you always such a pessimist?"
"You learn more from a loss than a draw," Sanosuke stated.
"They're called my division," Kaoru carefully peeled Sanosuke's arm off from around her shoulders. "My division is fairly large so you might want to go sit down-"
"I don't," Sanosuke said simply. "Good luck Kaoru."
"Thanks, Sanosuke," she said as she began to walk off.
"Win," he ordered her. Kaoru smiled at that but didn't turn around.
Sanosuke watched her go then walked over to the wall where the scores were kept posted, taking care not to hobble. Kaoru's calculations were correct, he saw, but that didn't make Sanosuke happy. What made him even less happy was that he saw that a competitor from the school which rivaled Kaoru's was entered in her division and another in the adult kendo competition. If the guy in Kaoru's division took second and the guy in the adult division took first the scores would be tied. Sanosuke did not want that. Kaoru and Yahiko had worked too hard for this tournament for it to end in a draw.
Scowling, Sanosuke added his name to the list of competitors in the adult kendo competition. There was no way he was letting some hot shot from another school walk off with Kaoru's victory- not while he could stand.
"Sanosuke, Kaoru's getting ready to fight," Yahiko was suddenly behind him. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," Sanosuke responded quickly. "Let's go watch Kaoru."
Kaoru's competition, like Yahiko's, was a deja vu of her sparring matchest. Since all the swords used had to be wooden, Kaoru was at an advantage, used to the weight and grip of hers. She won first place again, defeating the youth from her rival school in the final match.
"Good job," Sanosuke told her when she walked proudly over to him and Yahiko.
"Thanks," Kaoru smiled at her friends.
Sanosuke felt strange looking at Kaoru's beautiful smile, as though there was something wrong with his stomach.
"The best that the Shinojima Dojo can do is tie with us now. We've restored honor to the Kamiya Dojo!" Her smile was infectious, but Sanosuke had the feeling that it would not last long, considering what he had to ask.
"Kaoru? I need a favor," Sanosuke told her. He paused and Kaoru looked up at him curiously. "I need to borrow your sharpened stick." He gestured to her wooden sword.
"What for?" Kaoru asked sharply.
"For the next competition," Sanosuke said, looking skyward instead of at Kaoru.
"You're fighting again today?!" Kaoru demanded, grabbing the front folds of his jacket and yanking him down to her level.
"Um, yeah. So can I borrow your sharpened stick?" Sanosuke asked again.
"That's what you were doing over at the score boards!" Yahiko exclaimed. "You were signing up for the next event!"
"You just signed up for it?!" Kaoru screamed in Sanosuke's face. "Right after you hurt your leg?!"
"There's nothing wrong with my leg," Sanosuke said stiffly. "Can I borrow your sword or not, woman?"
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you sign up to fight again after you injured your leg?" Kaoru asked.
"There's nothing wrong with my leg, Kaoru," Sanosuke growled.
"Liar," Kaoru held her wooden sword out to Sanosuke but turned her face away. "Don't come crying to me if you mess yourself up."
"I'm not going to mess anything up," Sanosuke snapped. "I'm going to with- and I'm going to do it for your school."
Sanosuke was true to his word. He went in to the adult kendo division and routed all his opponents. Kaoru wondered if she had known Sanosuke even knew how to use a normal sized sword before he went in and laid waste to his foes. But Sanosuke did know how to use a standard sized sword and knew how to use it well. The Kamiya Dojo claimed victory.
When Sanosuke stepped out of the ring, Kaoru resisted the urge to hug him as hard as she could. She doubted that the ex-gangster would appreciate it. He stumbled as she approached him, and had to catch her shoulder for balance. Kaoru nodded to him, moved so that she was directly against his right side and patted him on the back. "Well done," was all she dared to say- as it was, Kaoru was afraid that simply touching Sanosuke was too sentimental for him.
Sanosuke smiled down at her and put an arm around her shoulders. Only someone paying very close attention would know that he was using her for support. "When does Yahiko sword fight?" Sanosuke wanted to know.
"In a few minutes," Kaoru answered, guiding Sanosuke through the crowd to an unoccupied bench.
"I want to watch the kid," Sanosuke told her.
"I'm not stopping you," Kaoru replied. "We have time to sit for a bit before he fights, so take advantage of it. You've been standing ever since you got here this morning."
Sanosuke obeyed and sighed.
"That Isaka guy sure was a cheater," Kaoru commented, sitting down beside her friend. "I guess he learned his lesson fighting you."
"I should have caught on to his trick sooner," Sanosuke narrowed his eyes. "I heard the clang of my knuckles against metal the first time I punched him, but thought that the sound was in my head."
"That breast plate looked like it was two inches thick. If it was pressed up against his skin-"
"His flab," Sanosuke corrected.
Kaoru waved a hand to acknowledge the correction, smiling, "the vibrations of the metal would have decreased drastically."
"That's no excuse for me," Sanosuke sighed. "Kaoru, there's something I need to talk with you about."
"I'm listening," Kaoru told him.
Sanosuke stared off into space for a moment, then turned his intense gaze back on her. "I didn't mean to be late this morning. I-"
"Don't worry about it, Sanosuke. You got here in time, that's what matters," Kaoru said quickly. She didn't feel like another argument with Sanosuke right now.
"But the reason I was late-" Sanosuke tried again.
"It doesn't matter, Sanosuke," Kaoru told him. "Forget about it- oh, Yahiko's up." She turned to Sanosuke and offered him a hand. He stared at her with wide eyes, looking like he was about to say something else, then apparently changed his mind. He ignored her and and stood on his own, but draped his arm around her shoulders again.
Kaoru and Sanosuke elbowed their way through the crowd to watch Yahiko's kendo match. This competition went much the same way Yahiko's last one had. His opponents were weaklings and clutzes who fell over their own feet and didn't land a blow on Yahiko. Kaoru cheered her apprentice on until he took first place in his division then did some rapid calculations in her head.
"Sanosuke!" She said suddenly.
"What's wrong?" he asked sharply.
"Nothing's wrong! Something might be great," Kaoru grinned up at him. "The school whose competitor takes first place in a contest gets three points, second gets two and third gets one. So far the Kamiya Dojo has taken first places in seven events. That means we have twenty-one points!"
"I CAN do simple multiplication you know," Sanosuke looked insulted.
"That puts us in first place!" Kaoru told him. "There's only one other school that's close to us, with nineteen points and no one else with more. If I win my sword fighting division the best any other school can do is tie with us!"
Sanosuke made a face. "It's better to lose than to tie."
"No it's not," Kaoru snapped. "Why are you always such a pessimist?"
"You learn more from a loss than a draw," Sanosuke stated.
"They're called my division," Kaoru carefully peeled Sanosuke's arm off from around her shoulders. "My division is fairly large so you might want to go sit down-"
"I don't," Sanosuke said simply. "Good luck Kaoru."
"Thanks, Sanosuke," she said as she began to walk off.
"Win," he ordered her. Kaoru smiled at that but didn't turn around.
Sanosuke watched her go then walked over to the wall where the scores were kept posted, taking care not to hobble. Kaoru's calculations were correct, he saw, but that didn't make Sanosuke happy. What made him even less happy was that he saw that a competitor from the school which rivaled Kaoru's was entered in her division and another in the adult kendo competition. If the guy in Kaoru's division took second and the guy in the adult division took first the scores would be tied. Sanosuke did not want that. Kaoru and Yahiko had worked too hard for this tournament for it to end in a draw.
Scowling, Sanosuke added his name to the list of competitors in the adult kendo competition. There was no way he was letting some hot shot from another school walk off with Kaoru's victory- not while he could stand.
"Sanosuke, Kaoru's getting ready to fight," Yahiko was suddenly behind him. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," Sanosuke responded quickly. "Let's go watch Kaoru."
Kaoru's competition, like Yahiko's, was a deja vu of her sparring matchest. Since all the swords used had to be wooden, Kaoru was at an advantage, used to the weight and grip of hers. She won first place again, defeating the youth from her rival school in the final match.
"Good job," Sanosuke told her when she walked proudly over to him and Yahiko.
"Thanks," Kaoru smiled at her friends.
Sanosuke felt strange looking at Kaoru's beautiful smile, as though there was something wrong with his stomach.
"The best that the Shinojima Dojo can do is tie with us now. We've restored honor to the Kamiya Dojo!" Her smile was infectious, but Sanosuke had the feeling that it would not last long, considering what he had to ask.
"Kaoru? I need a favor," Sanosuke told her. He paused and Kaoru looked up at him curiously. "I need to borrow your sharpened stick." He gestured to her wooden sword.
"What for?" Kaoru asked sharply.
"For the next competition," Sanosuke said, looking skyward instead of at Kaoru.
"You're fighting again today?!" Kaoru demanded, grabbing the front folds of his jacket and yanking him down to her level.
"Um, yeah. So can I borrow your sharpened stick?" Sanosuke asked again.
"That's what you were doing over at the score boards!" Yahiko exclaimed. "You were signing up for the next event!"
"You just signed up for it?!" Kaoru screamed in Sanosuke's face. "Right after you hurt your leg?!"
"There's nothing wrong with my leg," Sanosuke said stiffly. "Can I borrow your sword or not, woman?"
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you sign up to fight again after you injured your leg?" Kaoru asked.
"There's nothing wrong with my leg, Kaoru," Sanosuke growled.
"Liar," Kaoru held her wooden sword out to Sanosuke but turned her face away. "Don't come crying to me if you mess yourself up."
"I'm not going to mess anything up," Sanosuke snapped. "I'm going to with- and I'm going to do it for your school."
Sanosuke was true to his word. He went in to the adult kendo division and routed all his opponents. Kaoru wondered if she had known Sanosuke even knew how to use a normal sized sword before he went in and laid waste to his foes. But Sanosuke did know how to use a standard sized sword and knew how to use it well. The Kamiya Dojo claimed victory.