Chapter four: An Apprentice

Nataku's favorite place in Togenkyo was a patch of wood on a hill overlooking a nearby village. In this certain place, the trees were tall and had layers and layers of leaves, the wind was warm, and the water was cool.

Many people don't understand Nataku's taste because Tenkai had more beautiful trees, but lei found the place beautiful even if there were no cherry trees.

She roamed around freely, though she couldn't understand why it was Nataku's favorite. She understood its beauty, but not the place's uniqueness.

She heard a waterfall and went to it. There, she saw Nataku, who was standing on a ledge that faced the waterfall.

Not noticing her, Nataku leaped into the air, and taking a scimitar from beneath his robe, slashed his weapon across the waterfall, stopping the water from falling for several seconds. Lei stared at the feat in awe as Nataku landed on the ledge.

"Sugoi, Nataku-sama!" she exclaimed.

Nataku jumped and looked behind him.

"How long have you been here?" he asked with a slight suspicion.

"Not very long." Lei answered. "Can-can you teach me how to do that?" she added eagerly.

Nataku raised an eyebrow and turned around.

"Maybe."

"Maybe?" Lei inquired, walking after him.

"It depends if you have the skill or not." Nataku said, sheathing his sword beneath his robes.

"I do have the skill, I know I do!" Lei said with a determined air.

Nataku stared at her and finally said, "Okay, I'll teach you. I don't have much to do till I know where Zerev is, anyway."

In his mind, he added, Let's see what Kaiten's kin can do.

 And that was how Lei became Nataku's apprentice.

Nataku quickly started his training program by first improving Lei's sword skills.

Lei learned new techniques as quickly as a computer, but her greatest weakness was the waterfall slashing.

"Remember, even the height and length of the jump may affect the outcome." Nataku instructed.

Lei resumed her stance, pulled her sword slightly out of its sheath, and leaped. She slashed, but instead of being cut, the falling water pushed down on her sword and made her lose balance and fall on her back on the ledge.

"Owww…" she moaned and sat up, feeling her back.

Nataku, though, didn't care if Lei was injured and whacked his sheathed sword on her head.

"Ow!" Lei yelled.

"Bakero! I told you that the blade should glide quickly but smoothly through the water in a horizontal direction." Nataku directed sternly.

Lei didn't complain as she clutched her head.

Nataku was very strict and a perfectionist. He would often discipline Lei by hitting her on the head, which means that her head would ache terribly by the end of each day.

But Lei learned to overcome her weakness quickly after a series of mistakes such as a wrong landing, or her sword's falling to the water, or her accidentally letting go of her sword, causing it to spin dangerously over Nataku's head.

After the sword training was the making of energy balls, which she learned immediately.

Just when Lei thought everything was over, the worst was only to come-Nataku decided to teach her how to use the Heaven and Earth Sutras, which he borrowed from the five Sanzos.

"There might be an instance that when Zerev is revived, I won't be able to perform the spell binding." reasoned Nataku.

"Like with the sword, the slightest loss of concentration can cause devastating effects. The Heaven and Earth Sutras are not toys." Nataku reminded her again and again.

The fighting god was right, for even to a 8000-year-old god, using the sutras was difficult. What more to a 500-year-old one?

During her training, Lei had ended up spell binding herself and turning her hands to stone.

"Yes!" Lei exclaimed after a trial.

The horse she was supposed to spellbind was successfully turned into a statue in front of her.

"Nataku-sama, I did it!" she said excitedly, turning around to see Nataku's reaction. "I-are?"

Nataku sat on a boulder, his body as immobile as the rock he sat on. He had been spell binded.

"Nataku-sama!" Lei shrieked, horror-stricken. "Gomen! Gomen nasai!"

Fortunately, Lei was able to bring Nataku back. All she received as punishment was a whack on the head, an entire night of carrying a boulder on her shoulders, and the task of returning the sutras to each Sanzo.

A month went by, and still no word from Tenpo. Nataku started traveling to look for information himself, but to no avail. The fighting god started to become more restless, for it was as though he could sense Zerev awakening little by little. One day, he finally decided to see where all Lei's training had gotten to, for he knew that the day of battle was quickly approaching.

"If you manage to touch my bangs, you can accompany me on the mission." Nataku told Lei.

Lei stared confusedly at him, not quite understanding.

"It's a test. Being sent along with me to Togenkyo doesn't mean you can come with me to an important mission. I still have to know if you're competent enough."  he

explained.

Lei hesitated for a moment.

"Well?" said Nataku. "What are you waiting for? Attack me!"

"Ha-hai!" Lei replied in obedience and lunged at Nataku.

The task may seem easy, but it wasn't. Nataku ducked and flew away like the wind. Lei flew after him, winding in between trees.

The chase went on till three hours later, but Lei still hadn't gotten closer than a meter. Nataku swerved, ducked, spun, and tumbled out of her reach. Finally, she collapsed, panting, on the grass.

"It's too hard! I can't even touch the hem of his robes!" she complained.

Nataku stopped for a while and stood a few meters from her.

"What? Tired already?" he said half tauntingly. 

Lei suddenly stood up and jumped at him, but Nataku was to fast t get caught easily. He ducked and Lei fell face-first on the ground.

Nataku stopped again and looked back at Lei. He was surprised, for she just sat there, hugging her knees, a tear in her eye. At first he thought it was one of her tactics. He carefully approached her, but she didn't move, even if he was close enough for her to lunge at him.

"Nani? What happened to your determination? I you really want to be fighting god, you better not tire easily." said Nataku.

Lei looked up to him and muttered, "You're too fast. I can't do it."

Nataku was stunned, for until now, Lei had shown so much determination.

"What happened to Han Lei?" said Nataku. "I didn't train a girl, I trained the hair-brained god who sneaked into my army."

Lei looked up.

"If you're going to give up now, what the fuck was all that training for?" Nataku added. "You just wasted my time, then!"

Lei stared at the ground again.

"You're too careful with me. Sometimes, a soldier has to get rough, even with his superiors, to accomplish a task." Nataku said. "I give you permission to do anything to accomplish this task."

Lei thought for a second, then, her eyes lighted up. Nataku backed away slowly.

"Sumi masen, can I be excused, please?" Lei asked, doing a low bow.

Nataku was puzzled, but let her go. Lei ran off in a cheerful manner.

She returned thirty minutes later, grasping one of her swords. Nataku stared. He said she could do anything, but did she think of cutting him up just to touch his bangs?

Lei unsheathed her falchion-style blade and said, "Now, shall we start?"

Lei started slashing her sword, and as Nataku ducked, she noticed how good Lei was. She swung her sword furiously, but not recklessly as monkeys with clubs do.

What is she doing?, Nataku thought.

 Then, Lei slashed her sword horizontally in front of Nataku's face. Nataku jumped backward just in time, for the blade barely missed the end of his nose.

Suddenly, Lei stopped attacking. Nataku carefuly stood a few feet away. His apprentice bent over the grass and picked something up. The fighting god stared at the strands of string in her hands. And then, he realized that it wasn't string, it was hair.

"Yatta!" Lei yelled, jumping rejoicingly. "I did it! I did it!"

Nataku looked in front of his face and saw that some of his bangs were cut in half. Lei had succeeded by doing something she was good at better than chasing. Nataku smiled.

Then, he walked over to Lei and hit her on the head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Lei yelled.

"You ruined my bangs! It'll take months to grow these back!" Nataku said furiously.

Though her head ached, Lei smiled as she stared at the strands of hair in her hand. She was, at last, a real fighting god.