Ah! My Sempai 4

AN: This chapter is very long due to the sparring between Makoto and Aoshi.   Take your time reading this, ok? May need to use some imagination ^^;;. This kind of stuff is hard to write so I wouldn't blame you for getting confused XD.  If it is confusing I'll try to rewrite it somehow. 

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According to Makoto's memory logs, last night's dinner with Ayane and Aoshi turned out just fine.  The food wasn't disturbed from the latest guest staying at the inn and the dinnertime atmosphere seemed to appear perfectly ordinary and easy-going.   Well…Makoto wasn't exactly sure if easy-going was appropriate to describe, especially since Aoshi was the guest here.   While the other guests ate their food happily, the table that Ayane, Makoto and Aoshi were sitting at was quite silent.   Not that that wasn't a bad thing of course.  

Makoto could obviously tell Aoshi wasn't interested in having a sociable chat with anyone and preferred to fill his stomach up with the tofu sitting in his plate.  During the dinner hour, Ayane happened to be the most talkative one among the trio, babbling irrelevant questions to Aoshi on his job as the Oniwabanshu Okashira.   Unfortunately the restaurant and inn owner had no idea what kind of conversation had gone on between Makoto and Aoshi throughout the day, thus was blind to see that the swordsman was clearly not willing to discuss about his work whatsoever.  Naturally he didn't want to appear rude so Makoto had to back him up and tell her boss word for word that this topic was confidential.   To everyone else's relief, Ayane believed the honest remark and went on about the weather changes in Osaka.  

That sent her talking for a long time and while she babbled to other guests in the inn on the environment, Makoto and Aoshi had constantly exchanged glances to one another in pure silence.  The only noises connecting between the two were the chewing and swallowing of the huge slices of boiled cabbage.  Makoto's thinking wasn't co-operating very well in her cerebrum and it made her very uncertain to whether this little staring game was a good thing.   It apparently meant Aoshi was communicating with her.   That was a good sign, right? Right through the early hours of evening, she had been slow to finish her dinner because of the exchange of glances to the cold, blue-eyed man sitting opposite her.

The endless gazes were too strong to break out of.   Aoshi's glares were so sharp that they could take you into a faraway land, away from the familiar world of reality.   It was much like a normal daydream people got when they sat and brooded for hours.  Makoto had forgotten at times that she was in a public place where people could easily see what she was up to (even her boss).  Aoshi didn't seem to notice she was making a fool of herself and simply continued to eat his dinner slowly.  From watching him, Makoto saw he didn't eat a lot.  It must be a part of his diet as a soldier of the Oniwabanshu.   Then again, Makoto had her own ways of dieting so she didn't blame this guy for eating very little at mealtime.  

As Makoto previously predicted, Ayane had given permission for Aoshi to stay for a night without having to charge him the usual price.   Naturally he was a special guest in this inn and she knew it would make Makoto a little annoyed to see that her new friend wasn't being treated well enough.  After all Ayane knew the young Karateka was helplessly ogling the young man (no matter how much she denied it) each time she looked at him.   There weren't many handsome travellers who passed this town and Ayane had constantly told Makoto how someone like her deserved to have a decent man to make her happy.  But it wasn't easy to accomplish.  Who would be interested in the violent daughter of a legendary Karate master? A few males were frightened of her aggression whilst the other half of the opposite gender were the ruthless kind and were hardly polite in the manners department.

In other words, they were not the type of guys Makoto would want to spend some time with.  The chances of them being injured from her fists was very high so it was best to find a guy who appreciated both sides of her.  Of course that wouldn't be happening any time soon.   Makoto was always busy with work and of course her training.   Speaking of Karate training, she had spent most of the morning warming herself up for the Kumite with Aoshi.  The thought of having to fight against the Oniwabanshu Commander had never left her mind from the night before and apart from imagining the amazing features of Shinomori Aoshi, she was also imagining how it would look to fight someone like him.

The first reaction that came to her mind when she pictured this was a feeling of nervousness.  Yep, that was the only word she could think from the top of her head.   But then there was also thrill as well.   She was so excited that her fingers wouldn't stop shaking from the moment she got out of bed to the journey of heading into the forest to train for two hours.  Aoshi had agreed to meet her there, first thing in the morning.   Here was the place where nobody was bound to disturb the two fighters.   Ayane would be busy opening the restaurant and cleaning the inn to notice the other event going ahead for Aoshi and Makoto.   She knew the auburn Bishoujo wanted to have a real moment of privacy with HIM but couldn't exactly visualize what those two would be up to.   Poor Ayane had no idea that Makoto's training was going to be in the morning for once, rather than in the afternoon.   

****

Aoshi found the distinguishable figure of Makoto sitting on a huge rock by the river.  Peculiarly, he felt glad that she was back in her Karate gi.  The jade Kimono she had worn yesterday was in some way concealing the inner ability the girl was hiding from public.  Not many knew she was a Karateka underneath the ladylike exterior – except Aoshi and Ayane of course.  The former had wanted to see with his own eyes just how truly skilled the daughter of Kino Ryouji was.  He would have seen her fight for one second before continuing his journey to wherever, though when he saw the real condition she was in yesterday afternoon it only seemed appropriate to get her healed first *and then* make a move to challenge her. 

He couldn't help the curiosity towards Kino Makoto eat within him when he first saw her in this forest.  Yes, it was uncomplicated to recognise who she was from eleven years ago and the past friendship her parents had with the Oniwabanshu's previous commanders was a perfect reminder for him to know that this girl wasn't going to be an enemy.  At first sight, he could see her state was awful, much like how he was after being in a fight against Himura Battousai and when he was shot in the legs from the Gatling gun Kanryu had.  The appearance of a wounded fighter only jogged his memory of seeing the bodies of his own men.  

"Wow you're on time, Aoshi-san," Makoto's fresh intonation disrupted the Oniwabanshu Commander's reminiscing and his azure irises cast themselves to the pair of emerald eyes watching him patiently.   The bloodstain on her sleeve had disappeared like magic and the colour of her entire gi emitted a bright shade of whiteness in front of his cold face.  It was almost as though a new person was born into the world or somebody who had just received a new type of training to become stronger.   On the whole, Makoto looked more confident and powerful than yesterday.   Of course it wasn't merely due to the fact she wasn't wearing her Kimono but because she had a chance to fight again after recovering from injuries.  To her, it felt good to recommence in training once recuperating was over.   Health was important after all.

Makoto slid off the large flat rock her rear had rested on and stood a small number of feet away from Aoshi, instantly moving into an alert stance.   Aoshi saw that she was prepared to begin this Kumite anytime from now.  The smile around her lips had shrunk to a small fraction and he noticed the readiness in all her facial features.  However, there seemed to be a hidden flaw floating somewhere.  In Aoshi's perspective, he could sense a slight hesitation growing by the minute inside Makoto.  A normal person wouldn't have been able to pick this up straightaway and automatically assume this girl was ready to throw some punches in her stance.   But Aoshi had managed to isolate the small problem while his eyes moved up and down in slow motion.  Makoto wasn't one hundred percent prepared for this, which did make him grimace a little.

His shoes clicked hard on the pebbles scattered along the path as he moved nearer to Makoto, whose combat alertness vanished quickly as soon as she realised the Oniwabanshu Okashira had approached her.   Isn't this 'fight' going to start yet? She wondered, her jade orbs ascending up to get a better glimpse at the emotionless façade towering over her. 

"What's wrong?" Aoshi asked.  She looked back into his eyes, unsure of his question's meaning.   He pondered to himself on the possibility that she was playing with him here, trying to get away from this fight before it even began by acting stupid. "Makoto, are you scared to fight me?"

"Huh?" She replied then bit her lip hard, endeavouring not to become lost in time from staring into pools of icy-blue. "Well uh…" Why the hell must she be lost for words at bad times? The guy was going to get really ticked off if she didn't spit the truth out.  Aoshi-san would think she had no pride as a martial artist.   That was what the message was saying across his head.   Makoto could see the invisible ink written all over his forehead and it was making her wince in shame.  Her father would call her a coward if he saw her decline in a fight at the last minute, wouldn't he?

Seeing Makoto's head gaze to the ground in embarrassment, Aoshi suddenly took his sheath forward and drew his swords out into the open.   The sound of the blades emerging from their hiding places caught Makoto's attention and her face spontaneously ascended to see what was happening.   The sunlight reflected in the two blades and blinded her for one second as she watched the swords being lifted into the air.  

"Oh my…is that what I think it is?" She stared at the left sword more closely.   So they weren't the long Katanas that most Samurai used in battle.   The size of Aoshi's swords was slightly smaller than the normal weapons people occasionally wielded, which was a quite change from constantly seeing small daggers hidden beneath people's fingers or sharp kitchen knives crazy lunatics waved around threateningly.   It had been a while since Makoto had come across a Kodachi.   Or two Kodachi to be exact! How could she forget that the previous Oniwabanshu Commander was also someone who used Kodachi as his weapon? Having Aoshi appear out of the blue had simply made her remember most of her family's past and their respect towards this group.

Makoto was completely taken in by the sight of the Kodachi that she didn't anticipate her left arm being pulled forward abruptly.   Something solid then rested between her thumb and index finger.   She gawked at what had been given to her, as well as the sense of strong fingers grasping around her left hand gently.   An impulsive flush of heat travelled up her back and into her cheeks as she watched the fingers (that had touched her) move away to its original owner.  Surely Aoshi didn't notice any redness spread across her face.  If he did then this fight was going to be harder than she imagined last night.   He must be laughing inside his head from observing the humiliated look being displayed on Makoto.

"I think this is what you are scared of," He said and stepped back once more to keep his distance. "You're worried that you won't be able to beat me without a weapon so I've decided to be even and let you borrow one of my Kodachi for this sparring session."

"A-Aoshi-san, are you sure about this?" Makoto queried hesitantly as she passed the Kodachi into her right hand and examined the sword's blade again.   The grip felt much lighter than a Katana and it could have easily been as strong as Makoto's own physical strength when used properly.   This was the second time she had held a Kodachi.   The first meeting with this smaller sword was when Makoto was eight and she only held it once while her mother was outside hanging the clothes on the washing line.  Yes it belonged to Makoto's mother but Himeko never used it as much because the sight of seeing blood stain the blade seemed too violent for her to deal with, which was a primary reason to why she preferred to use physical attacks to knock other fighters unconscious and not kill them.   After both of Makoto's parents died, the Kodachi was sold on the market rather than kept away by the daughter in the present year.

Makoto's awareness was immediately brought back to reality when Aoshi charged in with a downward attack.  Her right arm thought by itself briefly as it flew in to prepare a rising block.   But Makoto had carelessly disregarded the fact that she now held a sword in her hand and rather than hear the slice of flesh connect, she heard a noisy clang of two blades clashing one another.   The Kodachi in her right hand was long enough to defend the vertical strike coming from Aoshi's blade.  That wasn't what she wanted to do though.   Makoto wasn't even ready to start any sparring yet.   Her brain wasn't exactly in its combat state right now.   Her eyes were focusing on her arm and watched the strength from the opposing sword forcefully push against her defence.   Was her entire body going to act by itself now?

"Good block," Aoshi said, reading the puzzlement over Makoto's face.   Some fighters had an unusual reflex and still managed to attack or defend without thinking in their mind first.  

"Aoshi-san, that block wasn't meant to…oh damn!" Makoto didn't have the opportunity to inform him about the automatic block she just did after seeing his right leg rise into a side-snap kick.  Her Karate brain was telling her to dodge the kick before it connected to its target.  As a quick evasion, Makoto was able to bend her upper torso backward and completely miss the snap kick being aimed towards her head.  Her position balanced steadily a few feet above the ground and her emerald eyes watched Aoshi's right foot strike the empty air, half an inch away from her nose.  

Like encountering a breeze, the fringe of her brunette hair flickered gently from the speed of the kick.  That was too close! She thought.  Thank goodness her physical flexibility had helped out in many fights.   Those warm up exercises Father had taught her to do before training were always important.  Suppose she didn't do any stretches first thing in the morning or prior to serious fighting then she'd have a long-lasting backache after bending in that position.  

"Not bad," Aoshi muttered as he brought his right leg back to his body. "Not many opponents I come across do something like that." As soon as he saw Makoto's figure back in its normal posture, he knew she was coming to attack him this time.  Her feet ran in rapid steps across the ground.  Aoshi saw that she wasn't wearing any shoes while sprinting towards him.   Bandages were wrapped around the middle soles of her feet and only her toes remained unclosed. 

So this was how Kino Ryouji taught his students, was it? To not wear anything on their feet and simply provide some covering for them (if appropriate).   Makoto didn't seem to feel any pain as she ran.   Perhaps it did hurt her in the early days but as time went on, the pain on her soles must have lessened and vanished instantly.   To be barefooted was part of a good fighter's training and Aoshi knew he didn't have to go easy on this girl if she trained in such a way.   She looked like someone who could cope with other sorts of pain.   There was something about the girl that made him feel as though she could stay awake in this sparring for a long time.

If Makoto's memory on using her mother's Kodachi was still clear in her mind, then using this sword shouldn't be a problem at all.   She lunged a strike towards Aoshi's left shoulder but the Oniwabanshu Okashira casually placed his Kodachi in an erect position opposite her would-be target.  She went for the other shoulder though didn't manage to touch it and instead was greeted by the same sword.   The defences were too fast for her to beat in speed as she attempted the lower targets and even the middle part too.   This was worthwhile evidence to show why this guy was a good swordsman.  

"Try harder," Aoshi uttered.  He interrupted her blade's aggressive yet aimless movements and pushed her sword down mightily, making it difficult for her to dash away from any other strikes to the rest of her body.  She spotted a left punch coming towards her right cheek and was unable to use her sword as an alternative defence because it was in a trapped position.  

"Oh shit," Makoto cursed aloud and dived her head to the left hand side to let the punch glide past.  It would be a perfect moment to be able to break her weapon free from the forceful push.  Unfortunately the punch still managed a strike and hit the top right corner of her head, even though she had forced her face to bend forward.  She thrust Aoshi away to let her Kodachi escape his weapon's hold.   Though this manoeuvre succeeded for Makoto, she didn't expect another instant attack to follow up straightaway.   The Oniwabanshu Okashira elbowed her in the stomach then threw a back-fist to her left cheek, which made her topple to the ground clumsily.     

Grabbing the incoming punch with her left hand would have been a risky move and she didn't want to have an awkward back as a result from this counter attack.  Diving in the opposite direction was the first thing that she could think of in an emergency.   Makoto could feel her skin covered with sweat heavily and it wasn't due to the lucky hit to the corner of her head.   Sure she was sweating ever since Aoshi arrived but the amount of liquid all over her face and body had grown during these past minutes of attacking.

She had to take this easy and focus hard, even though this was meant to be Kumite.  This session still had to be treated like an everyday fight, didn't it? The thing was, Aoshi was a different kind of opponent she had never fought before.   So what if the Kodachi was smaller than the popular Katana.   It managed to provide its wielder versatile defence against the attacker and possessed enough speed to consecutively block off another blade's momentum.  So then it would be able to deliver some physical strikes using the arms or feet.   Wait! That was how Aoshi fought his opponents.   Makoto could see why he blocked with his Kodachi and then used physical attacks to attempt to strike her.  This was what the smaller sword had as its advantage.

"Now I get it," Makoto murmured, ignoring the throbbing pain on the side of her head and everywhere else.  She forced her gaze towards Aoshi. "You are really good.   Did you do other martial arts apart from learning the uh…?"

"Apart from the Kodachinitou-Ryu, I learnt Kempo," Aoshi answered the blank part of her sentence. 

"Kempo? Oh no wonder." She recalled his recent attacks one by one in her brain, as well as the pain that each hit had released when it collided with vulnerable parts of her physique.  Her concentration had just awakened a few minutes ago and it took her a while to see how this opponent fought in an individual style.   Kempo was a style that involved the use of fists (and kicks) but sometimes included training with weapons.   It was very common in other countries like China.

Makoto wasn't sure whether Kempo would have been something she had been in touch with.  Karate had mostly relied on your body to attack rather than weapons.   From what she remembered in training with her parents, they didn't use weapons a lot as a defensive source.  "Aoshi-san, I don't think I should be using this sword."     

"You're doing fine, Makoto," He answered.   She stared at him, perplexed.  Did he just compliment her? But she hadn't managed to get a hit on him yet, not even with her sword.  Aoshi's defences were too rapid to beat.  Would it be any different if they didn't use weapons? Then again he was still likely to win without the Kodachi.  Those bodily attacks did hurt Makoto for a few minutes after they freshly struck her. "You don't realise you're using the Kodachi to protect you."

She snorted sceptically. "Hey, you got multiple hits on me, Aoshi-san and I didn't use the Kodachi to defend myself."

"You did in the first part of this sparring, remember?"

Makoto blinked in surprise.  Oh yes! She did…but that was automatic though.  That didn't count as intended defence, did it? Her mind was totally indulged with the grace of the Kodachi sword rather than noticing the fast-paced attack from Aoshi.  She steadily rose to her feet and said, "I think I did defend myself at that point *but* it was my body that did it."

"You're used to fighting constantly, aren't you? Your body reacts more sensitively than a normal person's as a result of this," Aoshi explained.   He didn't continue to give out any more interesting facts as he prepared to attack like before.  This time Makoto wanted to defend when the time was right.   Her head wasn't half-asleep or in another dreamlike state.   She was damn prepared!! The Karateka waited for his next move, her gaze sharpening as though they were the eyes of a predator ready to pounce its victim from behind the bushes.

However, he didn't appear to make an attack head on and instead looked as though he was in a deep trance.  And Makoto thought she was the one doing all the dreaming here.   What was this supposed to mean? Maybe he wanted to do a surprise technique if she was the one to make the first move.   But that was a silly mistake that some careless fighters would do.   Makoto had the feeling it was best to see what he was up to first before even thinking of awkwardly marching in to hit Aoshi.   On the other hand, her suggestion on waiting to see what he would do next happened to be out of the question as she noticed how very blurry his appearance was becoming.

The man in the white trench coat seemed to have multiplied – unless it was down to bad eyesight for Makoto.  She was certain that this wasn't an eye trick because her eyes were fully awake and not blinking nervously.  The many figures of Aoshi surrounded her and swayed like ghosts in a moving circle.  What the hell was this? He was trying to confuse her.  This was the kind of mind game Makoto hated to deal with.   Watch him! Find out when he's going to switch to the offensive side She warned herself.  Having to take part in a game like this needed patience and brains and Makoto wasn't a brainy person, which made it harder for her to succeed.  

Aoshi's figure swayed in all directions and it was making her eyes twirl dizzily.  Her focus had to be regained; otherwise he would attack her without any problems.   No time to waste being affected by the giddiness swallowing her brain up.  Her warning continued to repeat itself in her mind as her jade orbs followed the Oniwabanshu Commander's movements.  The tall branches among the trees stopped moving at the same time when Aoshi's encircling halted in a flash.  That was a quick signal for Makoto.  And indeed it meant he was about to attack.  BEHIND ME! She thought furiously and immediately pivoted on her heels to deflect a very close strike from Aoshi's Kodachi.   He could have easily cut her nose if he was lucky.

Makoto decided to throw a punch with her left arm, clearly aiming towards his cheek.  Aoshi could see he was about to get a hit from her, no doubt.  That was her intended target.  He was prepared to defend with his Kodachi anytime soon! But that's where another trick came into play.  While he may have anticipated a left lunge punch from her, he alternatively ended up being swept off his feet and landed on the ground.   No left lunge punch came to his cheek at all, as he would have expected.  

"Whoa," Makoto simply said.  She couldn't believe she did such a sneaky move. "Oh crap!" Makoto then yelped without warning after taking in a kick to the back of her legs.   'Stupid girl' was all she could say to herself when she tripped over her feet.  Her backside was becoming twice as sore each time it met the ground.   What if all the flesh vanished if she kept on falling like this? Her rear would be so thin and when another silly fall occurred, it would be more painful.

As she stood up again, Aoshi's blade zoomed towards the tip of her nose and Makoto used her free hand to grab the middle of the Kodachi.   Wow, she didn't think it was this cold.   Well it was metal, wasn't it? Why on earth did she use her left hand to grab his weapon? Aoshi wondered.  This wasn't what he had predicted to come out from her.   Was she really stupid? Aoshi didn't like to think she was.   As Makoto had witnessed previously, the Oniwabanshu Commander used a Kempo technique to counter attack the opponent while his Kodachi was in defensive.  In this case, it was an elbow towards her face.  Thankfully her other arm came to the rescue in time and the elbow strike collided with the main blade of the second Kodachi.  Makoto's right arm was, in a way, placed through an upper rising block but it had special back up from the weapon sitting in her hand.   Aoshi wondered what the Karateka was going to do next now that she was in a strong position.  

She was most likely to pull off another sweep since her feet were the only parts available to use for attacking.  Then again…Makoto had other solutions to get a hit in.   She pulled Aoshi's Kodachi from his right hand, tossed it to the ground and, to his surprise, jumped into the air to perform a flying kick, which landed on his right cheek.  How the hell did she do that? The flying smack to his cheek made Aoshi stumble in his posture.  Makoto covered her mouth from horror after seeing another lucky attack go through.   OK that couldn't have been her when she did that.   Something must have possessed her.   She didn't want to hurt Aoshi at all.   This was supposed to be Kumite not a life and death duel.   The thought of being able to get a hit on the guy never crossed her mind…but she DID manage to get a really effective strike on him.

"A-Aoshi-san, I…I'm really sorry.  Did that hurt?" She sounded utterly ridiculous being concerned about the injury.  She seldom asked these questions to anyone, merely because this wasn't an idiot who was fighting her.   This was a friend.  A sparring partner.  He didn't seem to be willing to respond and Makoto had to check for herself how much damage she did.   Dropping her Kodachi as well, she approached Aoshi to check his face.  Without saying a word, he let her move his hand away from his right cheek.   Fortunately there wasn't a very dark bruise developing.   The blow would probably go away in two days time and his skin would be back to its nice, fair colour that Makoto liked to look at for a long time.  That flying kick wasn't meant to be damaging.  It only had half her real strength. 

Aoshi drew back slightly when Makoto's fingers held his chin still; her eyes wouldn't stop examining his face for at least five minutes.   Like the skin on her palm, each of her five fingers had a soft feeling.   It wasn't rough or dry.  Maybe most women had soft fingers like hers, no matter what occupation they had.  Makoto pulled her hand back right away as soon as she saw the icy-blue stare connect to her face.   Yep, that hit wasn't life threatening she finalised in her head.   She didn't want to make Aoshi more impatient with the so-called medical check-up. 

"It wasn't painful," He insisted. "I can tell that kick was weak.   You seem to be able to hide your true strength in your techniques."

"This is Kumite, Aoshi-san," She said. "It means I don't hit hard.   I'm sure it applies to you as well." The pair of emerald eyes stared at him intriguingly, assuming what she had said was also relevant to him.   Makoto had a small hunch that Aoshi didn't want to give her some cuts in the flesh with his Kodachi.  It was a blatant sign to say he was using safer techniques during this sparring session.  Generally they were both doing the same thing to each other, not landing deadly blows that were dangerous and strong enough to kill in one go.  "I'm right, aren't I?" she asked him. 

Aoshi nodded slowly, "Yes.  This is only training." Another wonder came to mind as he observed Makoto.   Was her guard still up? He couldn't help finding out for himself and decided to make another move on her. 

"What the…?" Makoto's face grew with shock as soon as she saw a punch lightly smash into her abdomen.  She actually thought this sparring was over for the day after she started talking politely.   Looked like it wasn't over for Aoshi quite yet.   Recovering from the hit to the stomach, Makoto saw another lunge punch coming at her and used her right arm to perform a forearm block.   Sheesh, that was damn lucky of her to defend quickly.   It took her another five minutes to see that they weren't using the Kodachi this time.  It was simple hand-to-hand combat.  Wasn't it supposed to be even for Makoto and Aoshi now?

"How about defending this?" Aoshi said.  Makoto swayed to the right to dodge a side thrust kick and countered with a jab strike to Aoshi's nose…or at least she tried to.   The target was an instant miss and the Karateka found her left arm being placed in a painful twist, forcing the rest of her body to bend forward.   Damn, he IS good She complimented him again.   Aoshi's hands were placed at some of the vulnerable parts of her arm and the likeliness of breaking it was high.   Her head found difficulty to look up at the face of her sparring partner, though it wasn't too much of a problem to visualise the emotionless façade of Aoshi in anyone's mind.  She didn't exactly have to stare with her own eyes at the man himself.

While holding her arm, Aoshi added, "The timing of your reaction is good, Makoto.  Perhaps you need to think more carefully on where you want to attack rather than just hit anywhere."   Another thought came through for Makoto, giving her a possible escape to this arm hold.  It was risky but she didn't care.  Risky was her middle name.  Aoshi tried to grab her by the right shoulder but she moved back a little to deliver a stomp on the upper muscle of his right leg.  It was his turn to crouch slightly.  However, the scowl of pain seemed to be a lot worse than the moment after Makoto kicked him in the cheek.  This pain was more realistic than before.  Oh dear…what did she do wrong? She knew he must have hurt him somewhere very painful.  As soon as Aoshi released his grip on her arm, Makoto supported him by the left arm.

"It isn't bad as you think it is," He answered before letting her get a chance to ask whether he was okay.  Makoto didn't understand what she meant until he started to summarize the reason for the wound to his leg.  He told her how he defended Hannya from the Gatling gun and ended up receiving multiple bullet shots to his legs while protecting one of his men.   This poor guy was suffering way too much from the tragic loss of his men.  Why did most of the anguish have to come from that story? It was almost too sad to hear over again for Makoto.  Although Aoshi's wounds may have fully healed on the outside, the pain was still capable of haunting him once in a while – like it did just a minute ago.  

"Well sorry if I hit you there," Makoto said in a light apologetic tone. "But you should have told me you had an injury before we started, right?"

"I told you already.  It's not serious," Aoshi stated, although more rudely.  The Karateka sighed and shrugged her shoulders.   She nodded in agreement after witnessing the willpower in the Oniwabanshu Commander's voice.  She believed his words and knowing a guy like him, he was a determined fighter in his mind as well as his body.  If he said he was okay then that sounded fine.  No point in arguing with a respectable swordsman.  

"You know, I think I've shown you enough of my skill," Makoto stated, removing her fingers from Aoshi's left arm.  She really needed to have a bath.  The sweat had covered her entire body as though it was sticky jelly.   While she walked away, an eerie thought popped into Makoto's brain and she couldn't help sensing that Aoshi STILL wasn't finished with this Kumite.  Something was telling her he was going to attack her again.  And yes, that little voice was correct on the prediction.   Aoshi threw a low snap kick to Makoto's leg, though the latter was able to deflect it using a downward block.  

Fine if he wanted to keep this sparring up for another minute, then that wasn't a problem for her.  Makoto supplied two roundhouse elbows from both her arms towards Aoshi's torso.   She knew they didn't succeed in striking his chest after seeing him step backwards easily without any hard effort.   He really was good without his weapon.   Shinomori Aoshi was extremely skilled.   There was no doubt about it.  He caught Makoto's right arm in the middle of an uppercut and placed it through another hold.  Fabulous, now she was really going to be punished with a broken arm.   He may not be holding back this time.  

She thought her face would meet the ground in one huge thud if he threw her down.  It could also mean she would lose some of her front teeth.  Thankfully it didn't turn out that way.  Instead, as she felt her body being pulled in all directions, her right arm had been twisted behind her back, giving her a lot of discomfort for her physique.   While her head leaned close to the lapels of his coat, Makoto's startled eyes met Aoshi's cold gaze by only a few inches.   The former swallowed an uneasy gulp down her throat as she exchanged a nervous glance at him.

"You're right.  The sparring session is over," Aoshi whispered and released the hold from her right arm.   He was disappointed with the daughter of a Karate master, wasn't he? She could see it through his ice blue eyes.   Who cared about the twisted pain in her right arm? Makoto was more concerned about what Aoshi was thinking right now as he walked off.   Was he angry with her?

TBC. 

The next chapter should be the epilogue.