Chapter 41: Home

Zidane starred at me. "This is your home?" He looked around.

Eiko looked at me. "What happened here?" I got back up to my feet, having finally regained my composure.

Zidane turned to me. "Michael…nothing around here looks familiar. Where are we?"

I sighed. "you guys may want to sit down. This is going to be a long story, and I don't want you to interrupt me. You must accept everything I tell you as the truth, okay?" they all nodded, and sat on the ground. That's when I told them everything.

When I was finished, they all had shocked expressions on their faces. "Well, any questions?" I looked around at them.

Vivi spoke. "So we're in another world?"

I nodded. "Yes, Vivi, we are, and I have no idea how we got here, but…it may have something to do with my ring."

Eiko spoke. "How are we gonna get back to Gaia?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Until I can figure out how this ring works; I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon." None of them seemed to like that answer.

Vivi spoke. "So what do we do now?"

I thought about this for a moment. "I think we should go see my Master. Maybe he can tell me more about the ring, and besides, I need to see if he'll teach me the ultimate technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi style."

Zidane nodded. "Well, it's not like we have a lot of options. Let's go." They all stood up, but before they left; I stopped them.

"Wait! Zidane, Vivi, Eiko, you guys can't go out looking like that" I said, motioning to them.

Zidane looked confused. "What's wrong with our clothes!" he said, defensively.

I shook my head. "I mean your appearance. Zidane you need to hide your tail. No one on Earth has a tail, and I don't want us attracting any unnecessary attention." Zidane understood my meaning. He nodded and tucked his tail into his pants. By the look on his face, I could tell he wasn't enjoying this.

I turned to Vivi. "There are no Black Mages on Earth, Vivi. You're gonna have to hide your face." I took off my battle robe, and handed it to him. "Put this on. Also you may want to remove your hat. Such a thing isn't a common sight on Earth." Vivi nodded, removed his hat, and quickly put my robe on. The robe was obviously too big for him, but the hood kept his face well hidden.

Finally, I turned to Eiko. "There are no Summoners on Earth, Eiko. You're gonna have to hide your horn. People on earth don't have (I thought about that for a moment)… don't usually have horns on their head."

Eiko looked confused. "How am I supposed to hide my horn?"

I thought about this for a moment, and realized that I had no idea. "I guess we'll just have to chance it. Is everyone ready?" Zidane looked uncomfortable, but nodded, so did everyone else. Satisfied, we set out for my Master's home.

My Master lived in a house deep in the woods. Normally, it would take me fifteen minutes to get to my Master's house, but that was by car. I didn't have a car anymore. While we were walking, I decided to tell the others more about my world. The only truth I neglected to mention in our discussions was that they were video game characters. I didn't want to tell them because I didn't want them to know that I already knew what was going to happen to them. It took us a few hours, but we finally reached my Master's home.

As we approached the house in the woods, I could sense that no one was inside. I could still feel my Master's presence though. I think I knew where I'd find him. I motioned for the others to follow me. We went around behind the house.

As soon as we rounded the house, I saw a man sitting on a stump. He was in front of a stone furnace used to dry pots. His back was turned to us. I motioned for the others to stay where they were, and walked towards the man, quietly.

As soon as I got within striking distance, I unsheathed my reverse blade sword, and swung it at his back. The man immediately performed a back flip and landed right behind me. I heard him unsheathe his sword. I quickly spun around and blocked his strike, which was aimed at my neck. I looked up into the man's eyes.

I smiled. "I see you haven't lost your skill, Master Hiko."

He smiled. "Michael…so, you finally decided to come see me after a month and a half of being missing in action."

I looked surprised. "So, it's been that long?"

He nodded. "Yes, and I see you have company." He turned to look at the others; then he turned back to me. "It's not like you to travel with others, Michael. Who are they?"

I smiled. "Master, I have soooo much to tell you." We all walked into my Master's house, and I began to tell him what happened.

After I finished speaking my Master looked at us all. "Well, that explains where you've been, and you believe your ring had something to do with this?"

I nodded. "Yes, I already told you what happened. Do you know anything about my ring, Master?"

He nodded. "Yes, but not much. I know that it's magic, as you yourself just discovered. I also know that it has the ability to cross dimensions and worlds."

I looked surprised. "How does it have that kind of power?"

Hiko shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know everything."

Zidane spoke. "So, why did the ring send Michael to Gaia?"

Hiko shrugged. "I'm not too sure. Maybe it sent him to a place where he felt he'd be safe."

I looked confused. "But…I've never been to Gaia. How would it-" my Master cut me off.

"I don't know. Like I said, I don't know much about the ring. Maybe you're father knew more, but if he did then the secret is dead with him." My face darkened a bit, but I shook it off.

Eiko spoke. "So can we use the ring to get back to Gaia or not?"

Hiko nodded. "I'm pretty sure you can return to Gaia. I'm pretty sure all Michael has to do is concentrate on the place he wishes to go and it'll take you there."

Zidane spoke. "So we could leave right now."

Hiko shrugged. "I suppose so."

I shook my head. "Not just yet guys. There's something I need to do first." I turned to my Master. "Master I whish to learn the final technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style."

Hiko thought about this for a moment. "I'm not sure you're ready for that yet, Michael."

I was angered, but held my temper. "I have traveled to a new world, and faced great peril. Why do you say I'm not ready?"

He closed his eyes. "Michael…go to the store, and get some food for our guests. We'll talk about this later."

I sighed in defeat. "Fine." He handed me the keys to his car, and I drove off to the store.

I lost my license in the fire, so I had to take extra care in driving. I spent an hour in the store. I was in no hurry to get back. My Master had also given me his wallet, so I could pay for the food. After I was finished at the store, I went back to my Master's home.

When I arrived, Vivi, Zidane, and Eiko came out to help me with the groceries. After that was done, Eiko and Hiko decided to get dinner ready. Zidane and Vivi went outside to spar. Dagger and I decided to sit back and watch them. This was a good chance for me to evaluate Vivi. Both of them were using practice weapons.

Before they started I spoke. "Vivi, try to beat him without using magic." Vivi looked uncertain, but nodded. After that, the battle began.

Zidane charged at Vivi, wooden daggers drawn, and prepared to strike. Vivi stepped to the side, and dodged Zidane's attack. Vivi quickly countered by hitting Zidane in the side with his staff. Zidane grabbed his side, and retreated back.

Zidane jumped into the air, and landed behind Vivi. Vivi must have known what was coming, because he quickly rolled forward, and managed to avoid Zidane's kick. However, Vivi didn't recover from his roll fast enough, and Zidane was able to hit him with a second kick. Vivi fell to the ground, but he quickly rolled to the side. He quickly got back up to his feet and narrowly avoided a slash from one of Zidane's wooden daggers. Vivi quickly struck Zidane in the gut with his staff before he could recover. Zidane grunted and retreated back.

They began to circle each other. Each of them was looking for an opening. Zidane must have thought that he'd found it. He charged at Vivi, and swung one of his daggers towards his head. Vivi blocked the dagger with his staff, but he couldn't stop the other dagger, which was aimed at his chest. Vivi saw the attack, and immediately jumped backwards. Zidane missed, but he managed to hit Vivi with his follow-up kick.

Vivi fell on his back. Zidane jumped into the air, daggers ready, and was heading towards Vivi. Vivi panicked and cast a Thunder spell. The spell hit Zidane in the chest, and he was sent flying backwards. He hit the ground, hard.

Dagger, Vivi, and I all ran towards Zidane. Vivi looked worried. "Zidane, are you alrught? I'm sorry; I didn't mean to do it. I-I panicked."

Zidane sat up and looked at him. "Don't worry, Vivi. I'll be fine."

I looked at Vivi. "You did a pretty good job, Vivi. Now, if only you hadn't used your magic."

He looked at the ground. "I-I'm sorry. I-It was a reflex."

I smiled. "Don't worry about it, Vivi. Zidane isn't hurt badly. There's nothing to worry about." He looked up at me. I could see that he was feeling better.

"Guy's, dinner." it was Eiko.

At the sound of food we all ran into the kitchen/dining room. We sat down at the table, and started to eat. After eating, Hiko looked towards me. "Alright, Michael. I'll teach you the ultimate technique. Meet me in the clearing behind my house, oh and your friends can't come. I believe you know why."

I nodded. "Alright, Master. I'll be there in a minute." Hiko nodded and left the house. A few minutes later, I left as well.

I walked into the clearing, and approached my master. He turned to me. "Your friends think very highly of you, Michael. Especially, Vivi."

I nodded. "What did they say?"

He smiled. "You don't need to know. Anyway, I'll teach you the ultimate technique, but I want to test your skills first. You'll face me in a sparring match."

I nodded. "What are the conditions?"

He smiled. "We keep fighting until you manage to hit me once."

I smiled. 'Good, a Thunder spell should do the trick' I thought.

My Master held up his hand. "Oh, and no Black Magic. Vivi told me about your bond."

My smile vanished 'darn!' I nodded, and unsheathed my reverse blade sword. My Master did the same.

I readied myself. 'Okay, so I only need to hit him once without using magic' I thought. I shook my head. 'This is so not going to be easy' I thought. That was when my Master charged at me. I decided to charge at him as well. He swung his sword at my neck. I ducked it, and tried to strike him in the gut. That was when I felt all the air leave my body. My Master had struck me in the gut with his knee. He hit me so hard; I was lifted off the ground by a foot. I landed on my feet, and collapsed to my knees. I was struggling to breathe. That was when I felt a rising sensation in my gut. I bent over and vomited onto the ground.

"That was pathetic. I thought you would have done better than that. Now get up."

'That's easier said than done' I thought.

I wiped my mouth, and struggled to get back up to my feet. 'I knew this wasn't going to be easy' I thought. As soon as I got back up to my feet, I looked up, and saw that my Master was gone. 'Oh, great, where did he go?' I thought. Suddenly, I felt a presence to my left side.

Thinking quickly, I turned and brought my sword up to block whatever attack my Master was planning on using. To my surprise, my Master wasn't there. 'What? I could've swor-' that was when I felt something behind me. Somehow he managed to get behind me.

I quickly spun around, and swung my sword. To my surprise, the blade stopped. My eyes widened, my Master had grabbed my sword with his left hand. Unfortunately, this didn't count as a hit, since he was using a defensive technique.

My Master grabbed me by the throat with his right hand. He lifted me off the ground, and threw me against one of the trees. I cried out in pain as my back slammed into the tree. I fell to the ground, and coughed up blood. I looked back up at my Master. He looked disappointed.

"Is that the best you can do? Pathetic, I really thought that you'd have gotten stronger by now."

I got back up to my feet. I narrowed my eyes. "Don't count me out just yet. I'm not finished." I readied my sword, and charged at him.

During my charge, I jumped into the air, and landed behind my Master. I performed a "Ryu Kan Sen" and aimed for the back of his neck. My Master spun around, and parried my sword. I was temporarily stunned. That was all my Master needed. He punched me across the face, hard. I stumbled, and he punched me across the face again. Then he punched me in the gut. I doubled over and saw his fist come straight at my face. He uppercut me into the air.

I went flying through the air, but suddenly stopped. I looked up, and saw that my Master had grabbed me by the front of my shirt before I hit the ground. He lifted me up, and threw me into another tree. I cried out in pain again, and coughed up more blood. I hit the ground, and rolled onto my stomach.

My vision started to blur slightly. 'Dammit, I'm losing too much blood. I gotta get a potion' I thought. I reached into my pocket, and pulled out a potion. Before I opened it, I felt my Master approach me. He stepped on my wrist, hard. I cried out in pain, and let go of the potion.

I looked up at my Master. He shook his head. "No potions." That's when he kicked me in the face. I felt my nose break, and I could feel twin streams of blood pour down my nose. My Master stepped away from me.

I was battered, beaten, and exhausted; this was much more difficult than I thought. Master Hiko, on the other hand, was barely breaking a sweat. He smirked "if you can't touch me, you're not ready to learn the ultimate technique."

I slowly got back up to my feet. My vision started to blur again. I knew that if I didn't do something fast, I was going to lose consciousness. I raised my sword and assumed my fighting stance again. 'I have no choice. I'm gonna have to put all my strength into one last attack. If this doesn't work…' I thought. I charged at my Master.

I jumped into the air, and executed a "Ryu Tsui Sen." My Master saw this, and executed a "Ryu Sho Sen" to counter my "Ryu Tsui Sen." our attacks collided in mid-air. I pushed down on my sword as hard as I could. I had to give it everything I got. Next thing I knew, I blacked out.

I don't know how long it was, but I eventually regained consciousness. I woke up, and saw that I was still in the clearing. My body ached all over. Despite protests from most of my body, I sat up. That was when I saw my Master. He was leaning against a tree. He didn't have a scratch on him.

When he saw me sit up, he walked over towards me. He knelt down. "That was reckless of you to put all of your strength into one attack." I looked down at the ground, I had failed.

I looked up at my Master, and saw that he was smiling. "But, if you hadn't put all your strength into that hit you wouldn't have managed to hit me." He moved his shirt and showed me his shoulder. It had a large bruise.

I was shocked. My shock quickly turned to joy. "Does this mean you'll-" He cut me off.

"Yes, but drink a potion first. Your body is too damaged." I nodded, retrieved the potion that he forced out of my hand, uncorked it, and drank it. It worked immediately. My nose was healed, and I felt refreshed. After that, I sat up, and looked at my Master. He got up. "Alright, now that you're better, let's begin."

He unsheathed his sword. "Now, I'm gonna hold back on this technique. If I don't then you'll die. Now, watch carefully, Michael. The technique I am going to show you is called the 'Kuzu Ryu Sen.' You know how each Hiten Mitsurugi technique targets one vital area. This technique allows you to target the nine vital parts in a person's body and attack them simultaneously. They are the head, the upper right arm, the upper left arm, the left shoulder, the right shoulder, the chest, the stomach, the upper left leg, and the upper right leg. I'll demonstrate this on you. Are you ready?" I nodded.

He put his sword out in front of him, and practically flew towards me at a blinding speed. Before I even knew what was going on, I felt something hit nine parts of my body. I couldn't move; it all happened so fast. I heard my Master speak; he was behind me.

"It's a technique that's so fast, it's almost impossible to dodge or block. I'm happy to say that I've mastered its use."

I was still stunned. 'I barely saw it coming. It was so fast. This is definitely the ultimate technique' I thought.

My Master spoke. "Now it's your turn. Stop my 'Kuzu Ryu Sen' with your own 'Kuzu Ryu Sen.'" I nodded, though it happened in the blink of an eye, I did see how he performed it. I was confident that I knew what to do. I faced my master, unsheathed my reverse blade sword, and readied myself.

I performed the 'Kuzu Ryu Sen' and attacked my Master. He executed the same technique, and I successfully countered each one of his blows. When it was over I collapsed to one of my knees.

This surprised me. 'What happened? Was my technique flawed in some way?' I thought.

As if he was reading my mind my Master spoke. "You're execution was perfect, but when two people use the same technique it boils down to which one is physically stronger. It was only natural that I'd win that bout. However there is a more effective way to counter this technique; you must use the ultimate technique."

I got up and turned to him. I was confused. "I thought this was the ultimate technique."

He smiled. "Now when did I ever say that?"

I looked frustrated. 'You tricked me' I thought. "Fine, then what is the ultimate technique?" I asked.

He smiled. "can't you think of any technique that could be faster than the 'Kuzu Ryu Sen?'"

I started to think. 'What technique is there that could possibly-' suddenly it hit me. I assumed a Battou Jutsu stance.

Hiko smiled. "Good work, Michael. The ultimate technique is indeed a Battou Jutsu technique. It is called the 'Ama Kakeru Ryuu no Heromeki.'" I nodded and readied myself.

My Master now had a serious look on his face. "I warn you, Michael. I will attack you with the 'Kuzu Ryu Sen,' but I won't hold back. If you can't perform the 'Ama Kakeru Ryuu no Heromeki' fast enough, you will die."

My resolve was shaken, but I knew that I had to learn this technique. If I can't learn this technique…then maybe I would be better off dead.

Hiko removed his cape. "Are you ready?" I took a breath, and nodded. Hiko executed the technique.

Time seemed to slow down, and now I wasn't so sure I was ready for this. That's when I heard a voice. "Michael, I don't want you to die. You have to stay alive." Suddenly, everything became clearer. I had to protect my friends. I had to protect my brother. More importantly, I had to stay alive.

Hiko was drawing closer, and I knew it was 'do or die' time. With a shout, I drew my reverse blade sword, and took a step with my left foot, instead of my right. It was a riskier move, but I knew I could do it, and sometimes you have to take a risk if you want to live.

I couldn't recall what happened during the last split second. All I knew was that I was still standing, and my Master was no longer in front of me. I turned around, and saw that my Master was lying on the ground.

I ran over to him and turned him onto his back. That's when I saw that he had a large wound on his chest. It wasn't bleeding, but I knew that it was probably painful. 'If I had used a real sword…' I thought. I shook the thought away. I had to get my Master back to the house, and fast.

After a few minutes, I was able to get back to the house, dragging Hiko along with me. "Guys, I need some help!" Eiko, Vivi, Zidane, and Dagger walked out of the kitchen towards us.

Zidane spoke. "Michael, what happened to Hiko?"

I didn't have time for this. "Help me get him to the sofa." Zidane nodded and helped me move Hiko into the living room.

We set him on the couch, and Eiko quickly cast a Cura spell. Hiko's wound healed instantly. I was relieved.

Zidane turned to me. "So, what happened?"

I spoke. "he taught me the ultimate technique. I'm now a Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi style."

Zidane looked impressed. "Well, congratulations. I take it that's where that wound came from" he said, motioning to Hiko.

I nodded. "Yeah, it was a good thing I wasn't using my normal sword, or…" I didn't have to finish, they got the message.

After making sure Hiko would be alright, I decided to go to bed. I walked up the stairs, and entered my room. I would use this room when I had to sleep over at my Master's during intense training. I got into bed, and fell asleep.

I have learned two new techniques

Kuzu Ryu Sen
Part One of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style's Succession Technique; the user attacks the nine vital parts of the body (head, left shoulder, right shoulder, left arm, right arm, left waist, right waist, stomach, and chest) all at once with blinding speed.

Ama Kakeru Ryuu no Hirameki
Part Two of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style's Succession Technique; a Battou Jutsu stance that leads with the left leg. Only those who have the will to live can learn this technique. The attacker will attack as normal, and the user will use the Ama Kakeru Ryuu no Hirameki to defend and counterattack. To acquire it, the inheritor must defend from his master's Kuzu Ryu Sen. The technique is so powerful that usually, masters of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu die when teaching their students.

I also have a new ability

Will to Live

When I'm in critical condition. I take half the damage I would normally receive, and my attacks will deal twice as much damage. Also my speed and overall physical performance increases as well.