The Return Saga
Episode Two – Lines Are Drawn
Miki took up a practised stance at the edge of the duelling arena, his beryl gaze sweeping over to Juri who stood opposite. Pale morning sunlight cascaded over the floor between them, and he drew in a calming breath, eagerly awaiting the signal to commence.
"Fence!" Juri called forcefully, and Miki began his attack. He lunged forward but she turned aside the blow easily, flipping her foil round to catch him on the torso. "Not bad, but next time try to make it less obvious where your attack will fall." Miki nodded curtly and started backing away again. "I don't want to influence your vote in any way," Juri started after a moment's hesitation, "but you know this decision is of paramount importance, and you can hardly have been blind to the recent events going on." Miki slowed his steps, nodding slightly at her words. "And how much the chairman and Touga have taken matters into their own hands." She added as he turned on the spot to face her once more.
"Yes, I realise this." He acknowledged carefully. "But I'm still not convinced it's the council's place to make such decisions as you propose." Raising her foil back into place Juri stood focused.
"But we certainly can't sit idly by and allow ourselves to become nothing more than the chairman's puppets." She countered firmly. "If this was an ordinary academy perhaps it would be acceptable, but as you well know this place is hardly ordinary. Fence!"
Lowering his shinai Saionji had to concede another round to Touga. The almost tangible air of smugness emanating from his opponent in no way improved his mood. Touga coolly lowered his own weapon and stood basking in a wide shaft of warm sunlight.
"I have to admit you're still improving, Touga." Saionji granted in a stiff tone. A faint smirk curved his friend's lips.
"It's a man's duty to always strive to better himself." Came the smooth reply, drawing only a displeased sneer from Saionji as he replaced his shinai on the rack.
"Is it also a man's duty to engage in clandestine bedroom meetings with their superiors?" At this all amusement bled from Touga's handsome features, leaving them utterly cold.
"What I get up to is none of your business any more. It can't be helped if you're jealous of those whom I spend my time with." He met the sullen violet gaze across the room. "We made our mistakes before, and I hope to remedy them now."
"You're a fool." Saionji spat heatedly. "This will go to no good place." Touga's attention drifted from him as Miki wandered past the door looking troubled and weary. Turning back to Saionji the smile returned to his face.
"I'll leave you to your practise, I have important council business to deal with." Tossing the shinai towards his companion he turned and exited briskly, leaving Saionji to snatch it angrily from the air and glare venomously at his retreating back.
Passing along the archwayed corridors of the school Miki continued to fret over the impending meeting. Whilst he had to credit Juri with making very pertinent points about the present situation he still felt strongly that he should not be the sole voice in deciding something of this magnitude. Staring intently at the ground before him he missed the faint footfalls of someone approaching rapidly and drawing level with him.
Donning his most winsome smile Touga affected an air of guileless nonchalance, gently scratching his shoulder beneath his robe, causing it to gape slightly wider. He greeted Miki softly, causing the boy a startled moment before he reclaimed his usual calmly polite exterior. "Oh. Good morning, Touga-sempai." He returned hurriedly. "Did you enjoy your training this morning?"
"Very much so, thank you." Touga reached back to free his hair from its fastening, flicking his head with a practised motion that sent the lustrous carmine strands dancing in a shining fall down his back. A slight blush tinged Miki's cheeks and he returned his gaze purposefully to the floor. "I was hoping to catch up with you before this afternoon's meeting. Have you reached a decision?" The boy shook his head.
"Not yet. I still need more time, but I will have a decision ready for the meeting." Touga nodded, stretching his arms out behind him to loosen the muscles.
"I'm sure you appreciate I have full confidence in the chairman, and I would hope you do, too, as a loyal student of the academy. Everything runs smoothly, does it not? I certainly have no qualms with the administration. You enjoy coming to school here, don't you, Miki?" As he spoke they came to a corner, and Touga reached across Miki to rest a hand on the wall, blocking his way and forcing him to stop dead.
"Of course I do, sempai." He replied, hesitantly meeting the hazardous cobalt gaze. "I'm just not sure that's what this is about." Touga allowed his hand to slip from the wall and resumed strolling beside Miki, his arms behind his back.
"Well, you need to consider this for yourself, but – " he paused, his smile faltering a little, "I would be troubled if you were to vote against the chairman. It would effectively be voting against myself, and I need to believe the council have faith in me to continue as your president." He tilted his head thoughtfully to one side, eyeing the group of girls along the corridor from them and judging this to be an opportune moment to take his leave from boy. "I'll see you at the meeting later. Good day, Miki." He laid an almost intimate emphasis on the name, lingering a few meaningful seconds before slanting over to the girls who were already hurrying to meet him.
Miki sighed inwardly at this latest play from Touga, now even more divided in his opinion. Subconsciously he reached into his pocket where the comforting weight of his stopwatch rested and closed his fingers around it.
Walking outside the dormitories Juri was deep in thought, going over all that had brought her to this point and finally admitting to herself she felt a little lost. It was as if events were spiralling out of her control, and by trying to catch hold of them she was only causing more trouble for herself. Idly fingering the locket at her neck her thoughts turned from their usual practicality to more whimsical musings of what might have been – if only things had been different…
As if summoned by Juri's own thoughts Shiori rounded the corner ahead of her, an easy smile on her pretty face. Her mind was clearly elsewhere as she strolled at a brisk pace, hands caught behind her back, and she was virtually atop her old friend before she recognized her. Juri had stopped on seeing her, and for a few moments they merely stared at each other, Juri lowering her hand guiltily from the necklace and fervently hoping it hadn't been noticed there. Shiori's smile faded, and she nodded curtly towards Juri before continuing hurriedly on her way.
Juri remained standing where she was for several long seconds, stricken with an uncomfortable coldness by the encounter. Taking a breath she firmly composed herself again and resumed her walk, consoling herself with her decision not to allow those things she did have control over to go wrong again.
Emerging from the lift Miki strode as confidently as he could to meet the other two council members. Surrounding their table several cherry trees spilled blossom into the air, and as Miki took his place at the table petals of red, orange and blue hues drifted past. Juri and Touga both acknowledged him with a nod, each trying to conceal the fact that their attention was more on each other than the new arrival. Juri sat straight-backed in her chair, holding an auburn-hued rose between her slender fingers. Touga lounged elegantly on his seat. There was a moment of charged silence, and the wind continued to pick up blossoms and scatter them profusely over the three. At length Juri tilted her head and regarded the president more openly.
"So, are we going to commence the meeting?" Touga did not move at her words, his gaze unwavering from where it had settled on a red petal in the centre of the table.
"Yes, let's get this over with." He began stiffly. "We've convened to vote on the motion that this council has no confidence in the acting chairman. Juri, would you care to cast your vote?"
"You know my views on this. I vote yes, of course."
"And as we all know I have complete confidence in the chairman," he went on in an impassive tone. "I vote no. That leaves your vote, Miki." Another silence, this one subtly different from the last and infinitely more awkward. Miki too stared at the table, unwilling to look at either of the other two. Blue blossoms swirled around him as he rose to his feet and solemnly took a deep breath.
"I think it's too grave a matter for me to decide, so I choose to abstain." Taking his seat once more he continued studiously avoiding their gazes. Touga's reclining took on a more complacent air, quietly satisfied with this turn of events. Juri focused on the rose, twirling it slowly back and forth.
"Well," breathed Touga, "since we have no majority here I suppose the motion cannot be passed. Wouldn't you agree, Juri?" A breeze stirred the strands of his hair falling artfully across his eyes, carrying a flurry of red petals in Juri's direction.
"You forget, Touga. We have one other way to settle this matter." Taking the rose in her fingers she flung it at Touga, a change in the wind catching it to dash it against Touga's chest with added momentum. His expression underwent a swift change from self-satisfied to stony as the bloom fell across his lap, but he recovered quickly enough. Lifting the unfortunate rose delicately he inhaled its scent, his smile reinstating itself. The wind had abruptly died down leaving him surrounded by a range of colourful petals.
"If that's what you really want. Tonight, I assume?"
"Tonight." She concurred.
Touga looked critically over the array of swords in his room, selecting one carefully and removing it from the rack, considering its balance.
"But brother, I don't want you duelling again. Can't you just stay in with me tonight?" Nanami pouted, bounding towards him with her pale hair bouncing about her shoulders. Replacing the first blade he drew another with practised ease, twirling it round his hand partly to gain a better feel for it and partly to force his younger sister to back off a few paces.
"There are things I must do, Nanami. You should remember the actions that were required of you when you acted in my stead on the council." She continued to jig slightly, her skirt bobbing as she regarded him crossly.
"I know but I thought we were past all of this. I don't want to see you get hurt." Sensing she wouldn't readily leave him in peace to select a weapon he slid the sword back into its sheath and laid it once more on the rack. He turned towards his sister and noted her genuinely downcast expression. Many things had changed since the last official duel had occurred; most things had gone back to the way they had been before it had all begun in earnest. She had every reason to fear a return to that way of life for she stood to lose what was most precious to her in more ways than one. He laid a hand tenderly on her cheek and tilted her face upwards, holding her gaze.
"You don't need to worry about me. I've always been able to take care of myself." Nanami couldn't help but smile, her eyes sparkling as she looked back at him.
"Okay, I trust you. Just please be careful?"
"Of course." He murmured, smiling fondly down at her. She leaned a little closer, feeling his intoxicating warmth, too afraid to ask again for a kiss after her previous rejection but unable to keep the hope from her longing glance. Pressing a hand against the back of her head he held her for a few moments longer before releasing her abruptly and turning away. "I need to get changed and finish preparing for the duel." He informed her coolly. She lowered her gaze to the floor and bit her lip, trying to hide her bitter disappointment.
"I'll be thinking of you, brother." She muttered quietly. Touga waited for her to leave and close the door behind her before slowly exhaling his held breath. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them wide again and refocused, going back to the task of choosing a sword.
The dying mid-evening sunlight lent an orange tinge to the elected battlefield as the duellists eyed each other from their starting positions. Occasionally now a shadow fell over them as clouds passed above with increasing frequency, driven by the brisk wind that was still picking up. Touga stood in a passive stance, sword still sheathed at his side, strands of his scarlet hair moving before his eyes, obscuring his vision intermittently. Juri, a more determined look on her face, held her sword unwavering and ready before her, the breeze also stirring her long auburn curls.
From the vantage point of the nearby tower Akio was a striking sight himself, one leg braced on the parapet, leaning forward to watch the pair below through his binoculars. Beside him Miki was perched on the low wall, cradling one leg against his chest while the other hung over the edge. Everyone awaited an opening move.
As the sun emerged from behind a cloud Juri struck forward, crying out fiercely as she thrust for the red rose on Touga's lapel. Quickly drawing his sword he turned the blow aside and Juri continued past him. For a moment he was faintly annoyed that she had chosen to begin so early. He had hoped for a chance to undermine her confidence before they commenced. He didn't have long to dwell on this as Juri quickly compensated and brought her sword round to match his returning blow. The lengths of the blades ground together as they met, Juri tilting hers slightly causing Touga's follow-through motion to raise his sword higher, leaving him momentarily exposed.
She cut down across his body with full force, aiming precisely. Touga however was quick to anticipate this move, stepping deftly back so that her blade passed a bare inch from its intended target. He brought his sword down once more, this time in a feint, pulling back at the last minute to defend himself. Continuing on the offensive Juri was caught off guard, and her upward swing glanced off his sword and flickered across his line of vision. A few filaments of his hair were severed – almost imperceptible, but he didn't miss the unintentional transgression.
A shadow fell across the pair once more as they assumed defensive positions, both panting a little by now, both watching each other and awaiting the next move. Juri once again seized the moment to dive forward, this time increasing the rate of her attack, slashing mercilessly from different angles at Touga. Well practised in the to and fro of duels he smoothly parried each blow, conceding to himself that for the moment it was absolutely all he could manage. The sun re-emerged with sudden dazzling brilliance.
Quickly sidestepping, Juri turned her blade once again to strike at the rose. As Touga raised his own weapon to defend the sunlight caught it, reflecting directly into Juri's eyes. She pulled back instinctively from the painful glare, raising her blade unexpectedly in a gesture that neither duellist anticipated. She continued to turn her face away, oblivious as her swordtip caught Touga across the cheek in an upward motion that left a gleaming red line in its wake. As she stumbled back a few paces, ready with a defensive posture, Touga brought his left hand disbelievingly the cut. A startled breath escaped Akio from his viewing position, and Miki strained to see what had caused the delay in fighting.
A warm thread of blood ran freely down the right-hand side of Touga's face, and the sight of it smeared crimson and wet on his fingers eroded his usual calm. Flinging himself at the still-dazed Juri he attacked ferociously, uncaring if the swipes caught her rose or her body. She strove through her momentarily impaired vision to turn aside the blows, working as she never had before to keep herself not only from losing the duel but also from serious injury. Unfortunately in her current state she was unable to do this as efficiently as she would have liked, and Touga's blade cut into her uniform in several places.
Sensing the hesitation in Juri's moves Touga pressed in for the coup de grace, thrusting diagonally across her body to cut the flower from her lapel. Forced into a retreat Juri was obliged to step heavily back onto her bad foot. Previously she had been compensating with fair success, but now her ankle twisted painfully and caused her to collapse back a short distance before she managed to momentarily regain her precarious balance. It was just far enough to cause Touga's attack to miss, and as her ankle gave way she picked the rose from his chest with an ungraceful slash.
She fell, landing hard on her back as Touga stumbled forward, burying his sword in the ground between her feet and leaning heavily on it as the petals of his dismembered flower spilled over her. For a moment she stared up, disconcerted by what she could see of the bloody cut in his pale skin through the veil of his hair, then he was gone. Turning away in disgust he left his blade embedded where it was and strode off the duelling arena without saying a word. Juri remained where she was on the ground, the dull aching of her bruises and sharper pain from her ankle mere background noise to her sudden weariness.
Akio too strode from his vantage point, the thin ponytail flicking angrily at his back as he muttered darkly to himself. Miki watched him go with concerned eyes, giving him time to clear the vicinity before rushing down himself to Juri's side.
In one of the now abandoned lower corridors of the school Touga finally stopped to lean heavily against a wall, a hand pressed to his injured cheek, still breathing heavily. Akio hastened around the corner not long after him, halting when he saw the boy and approaching him slowly. Though the meeting was inevitable Touga briefly wished it had not been quite so immediate, so he could have had more time to dread it. Against his expectations though the chairman seemed to be attempting an air of nonchalance. The strain was evident in his resonant voice when he spoke.
"That wasn't the way things were supposed to go." Touga did not reply immediately, taking his hand away from his face to stare blankly at the scarlet smear on it. He was too exhausted and shocked to think straight, let alone move.
"Of course it wasn't." He bit back eventually. "The duels were never meant to go this far. I can't believe Juri overstepped these bounds." Perhaps he hadn't realised his injury had been an accident, Akio mused. If so the indignation could be used to his advantage. He relaxed a little, the beginnings of a smile forming on his lips as he ran a finger along the open wound, causing Touga to wince.
"Indeed." He paused to lick the blood from his finger, eyes flickering briefly closed as he savoured the taste. "Juri will have to be made to pay for her actions." Taking Touga's arm he lifted it around his shoulders, supporting the slighter man and moving in the direction of his chambers. "Yes, we will need to deal with her as soon as possible. This motion needs to be buried before it can cause problems for us."
Up on the duelling arena Miki found Juri still lying prone. Dashing to her side he was relieved to note she had not taken any serious injuries; the slashes at her clothing did not appear to have reached her skin. Her jacket was almost entirely open now, revealing the undershirt beneath. She panted noticeably, clasping her pendant and gazing skyward.
Overhead the now thick cloudcover broiled menacingly, and from its dark midst a few heavy drops of rain fell, preceding a veritable torrent that was not long arriving. Miki knelt by Juri's side, rain catching in his hair and darkening it to a deep indigo before the increasing downpour soaked them both entirely. Juri remained lying still, apparently either unwilling or unable to move.
"Juri-sempai," Miki began over the cacophony of raindrops, "you're still injured from before. We should return to our rooms and get out of this rain, where you can rest." A faint smile lit on her face and she raised herself to a sitting position, gently fending off his attempts to aid her.
"It's fine, Miki. Thank you. I can do it myself." She rose experimentally to her feet to prove this point. "I think I've done something very valuable here today. I think this could be the start of a new beginning for the academy." Releasing the necklace with a decisive movement she limped slowly towards cover with Miki in tow.
Still supported by the chairman, Touga continued through the academy's halls towards their destination. Neither of them had spoken further, and by now the rain was filling in the silence for them with its steady din. It streamed down the windows, distorting the view out slightly in ripples.
Dashing across the courtyard outside, her schoolbag over her head to provide some shielding, Shiori ran for cover with two of her friends. At the sight of this Touga stopped for a moment, causing Akio to glance down at him, his expression slightly concerned. "What is it?" An unwholesome smile crept stealthily across Touga's face, and something of the usual spark returned to his blue gaze. He laughed softly, deep in his throat at the question.
"I think I may have found the perfect way to get at Juri."
- End of Episode Two -