Two weeks later
"Gangway!" Miyoko shouted out in excitement as she drifted on the slick wooden floor. Her aim and momentum were perfect and propelled her through the open doors to the patio without losing hardly any speed at all. She was really starting to get comfortable with her new wheelchair.
She took the patio steps down to the yard one-by-one and parked herself in the shade provided by the patio roof. In the yard Rowan was leading Faith through a complicated combination of close-contact strikes and blocks. He had his gi on and proudly wore his newly arrived black belt with four notches on it.
A courier had brought him a large cardboard box originating from Scotland just a few days back. In it had been the rest of his belongings, on top of which lay the belt in question with a diploma and a hand-written letter from Konoe Shinzo-sensei congratulating him for his new status – with the caveat that he would be withholding the fifth dan until Rowan came back to claim it in person. From what Miyoko had witnessed, said decoration was more than deserved – once the shock of seeing him practice a very advanced form of Tōde along with more basic level jūjutsu had faded.
"Yame," she called after 15 minutes. Both combatants immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed to each other. "Faith, math. Rowan, swords," she commanded.
"Yes, sensei," both bowed to her before Faith sprinted inside, sticking out her tongue as she passed Miyoko. Oh, Amaterasu-Ōmikami, how she loved both of them. Faith's current playful rogue-ness was so much in contrast with the wary and sullen girl who had joined them half-a-year ago that she was in all aspects a totally new person. The Slayer's 18th birthday was only a day away and the happy and care-free person who had just rushed in was very much the Faith she should have been all along.
"So, Yōkai-san," she addressed Rowan who had reverently picked up her blade from where it had been lying on the patio table and brought it to her. "Ready to have your butt kicked?"
"The only butt-kicking that will take place will be on your paralysed arse, Kunoichi-san. Too bad you'll be unable to feel it," Rowan grinned and picked up his own sword. It was their private joke. They had agreed that Miyoko's current condition should not have an effect on how they spoke to each other – taunts and insults and all.
"The only 'too bad' here will be on Faith. She failed to take one last look on your perky cheeks. After this your ass will be lacking one half. The other will be decorating my bedroom wall before the day is out."
"Oh really," Rowan chuckled and started singing under his breath.
Four-and-twenty virgins come down from Inverness,
And when the Ball was over, there were four-and-twenty less,
Singin' balls to your partner, your arse against the wall,
If ya never been had on a Saturday night, ya never been had at all.
"You're nuts, Yōkai-san," Miyoko laughed. "Cute, I'll give you that, but absolutely nuts."
"You can always try to relieve me of my nuts, Kunoichi-san. Maybe you'd appreciate me more like that."
"Don't tempt me," Miyoko kept on laughing as Rowan lifted her and the wheelchair on top of a specifically constructed wooden platform that brought her almost to eye-level with him. Now ready, she steadied her chair and unsheathed her sword. In front of her, Rowan did the same with his sword.
This was their private bonding activity. Even if confined to a wheelchair, Miyoko wanted to keep on exercising. Her upper body still worked perfectly, so she had been working relentlessly to make the best of it. She still practiced t'ai chi with Faith every morning before her physiotherapy, now with Rowan occasionally participating as well and showing them some of the additional moves that he had been taught.
But with Rowan only she practiced with real swords, mostly without safeguards, as he was the only one she could absolutely trust with live blades. She knew her useless legs were a vulnerability as was her limited mobility, but together they had come up with a training regime that was enabling her to utilize her chair to the best of her advantage.
While sparring, they had discussed about all kinds of ways to counter her disadvantage. Kevlar shin-guards, pneumatic shuriken in the armrests and even more exotic means of defence and attack. Some of it had been straight from The Lone Wolf and Cub.
So, they began. Steel met steel – left, right, high, low – initially slow but constantly increasing in tempo until their respective blades were just blurs in the air. She loved every second of it.
After a ten-minute breakneck exchange of attacks, they both froze as if on mutual agreement and bowed to each other. Both were breathing heavily and sweating profusely. But there was still one more thing before they were done.
Lifting Miyoko gently down on the ground, Rowan took a seat himself on the raised platform. Looking at each other directly in the eyes they performed a perfectly synchronised, seated kata before sheathing their swords.
"Thank you, Ms Miyoko for this lesson," Rowan bowed respectfully once they were done.
"Not at all. It's me who should be grateful," Miyoko replied, completing the exchange.
Rowan pushed Miyoko to the nearest patch of lawn and sat down himself, leaning against one of the wheels of her chair.
"Hand-operated springs that will straighten your knees with hidden blades in your shoes?" Rowan suggested, looking over his shoulder.
"Hmmm... not bad," Miyoko mused. "Hey! Have you seen Ben-Hur? No? It has this chariot race sequence and one of them has spinning blades attached to the axle of his chariot."
"Ingenious," Rowan nodded in all seriousness. "Maybe we can get rich together marketing a wheelchair model for aspiring ninjas."
"Yeah, let's," Miyoko grinned and flexed her arms.
"That's a deal," Rowan nodded, standing up. "Shower or bath?" he continued.
"A shower will do," Miyoko answered and started wheeling herself in the direction of their spa.
In the bathroom, Rowan helped Miyoko undress and then carried her to the deck chair located in one of the multiple shower stalls. After making sure Miyoko had everything she needed to wash herself, Rowan undressed himself and stepped into the stall next to hers.
"Everything ready for Faith's birthday?" Rowan asked as he started shampooing his hair.
"Yes," Miyoko answered, lathering her long hair as well. "You'll take her to Taupo for a quick patrol, and when you two come back... party time."
"Now, you have agreed to sing, remember?" Rowan reminded her. "There will be karaoke."
"Easy for you to say, Caruso," Miyoko snorted and picked up the shower head. "I may be Japanese but not everyone of us was born with a microphone in our hands."
"Guess not," Rowan shrugged. "To me it's just as easy as speaking." To demonstrate he let out a perfect, two-second C4.
"I wish I could do that," Miyoko sighed. "I can play the shamisen but I always wanted to be able to sing."
"Do you have one here?"
"No. Mine's back in Kagoshima."
"Shame. We could have cooked up something surprising for tomorrow. Oh, I don't have any shower gel. Pass me some, would you?"
"Here," Miyoko answered, and a bottle of soap slid on the floor and stopped against Rowan's foot. "Hey! Sing something for me."
"Like what?"
"I like Elvis."
"'It's now or never, come hold me tight.' Something like that?"
"Arrrgggh! You drive me crazy!"
"Good crazy?"
"Ok, what's going on here?" an amused voice queried from the door and then a naked Faith stepped inside and took the third shower stall.
"Your boyfriend is driving me crazy!"
"Your FWB is driving me crazy!"
"Whoa! Timeout!" Faith chuckled and stepped underneath the warm spray. "What seems to be the issue, Cat-Hands?"
"I asked him to sing, and he just teases me," Miyoko pouted.
"Yeah? Bright Eyes?"
"Fine, fine," Rowan sighed. "But, maybe something a little more appropriate for a shower solo, hmmm?"
"Huh?" both Miyoko and Faith asked in synch.
"Like this..."
Libiamo, libiamo ne' lieti calici, che la bellezza infiora
E la fuggevol, fuggevol ora s'inebriì a voluttà...
"No opera!" Faith growled, eliciting a muffled laugh from both Rowan and Miyoko.
"No?" Rowan asked, still laughing. "Musical, then."
I dreamed a dream in times gone by
When hope was high and life worth living...
"Arrrgggh, no!" Faith yelled, but she was all but laughing herself.
"You're not leaving me with much of anything, Sunray," Rowan reminded her.
"There's a whole fucking metric shitload of..."
"Ok, I know," Rowan interrupted her. "Let's try this one..."
And you know it's time to go
Through the sleet and driving snow
Across the fields of mourning – lights in the distance...
"YES!" both Miyoko and Faith exclaimed in immediate agreement.
"Today's lecture is about communication," Dr Walsh started. "We'll also be talking about language. Not the same thing. Now, I'm sure all of you know this quote. 'What we've got here is failure to communicate.'"
"Yeah, Cool Hand Luke!" someone brave shouted from the back.
"Thank you for proving my point, Mr Brennan," Walsh commented dryly. Everyone knew her views on speaking in class without permission. There were a few muffled snickers, but she decided to let it lie. "In 1978 a European professor of economics, Osmo A. Wiio, formulated his 'Laws of Communication'. Who can tell me what the most famous of them is? Ms Rosenberg."
"'Communication usually fails, except by accident'," Willow answered promptly.
"Communication usually fails, except by accident," Walsh repeated. "Think about that for a while. It may sound like a variation of Murphy's Law, but if we take into account the myriad ways we use to communicate – verbal, non-verbal, intentional, unintentional..."
Buffy was jolted back to reality as next to her Willow slammed her course book shut. Had she been dreaming? The sun-downing demonstrative kiss with Riley, the little singing girl from Nightmare on Elm Street, the skeletal Richard Kiel...
"So, I'll see you all Monday for a final review session," Dr Walsh reminded them as she stepped out of the classroom.
"Man, that was an exciting class, huh?" Willow asked exuberantly from the seat next to hers. "The last twenty minutes were a real revelation. She just laid out everything we need to know for the final. I'd hate to have missed that."
"Uh, well..." Buffy stammered. "Just tell me I didn't snore."
"Very discreet – minimal drool," Willow nodded and picked up her books and notes. "So, you were dreaming?" she asked as they headed for the exit.
"Yeah," Buffy nodded with a frown. "And it was kind of intense."
"Intense? Really?" The question from behind them made both girls turn their heads in synch. Just outside the hall, Riley was leaning against the open door with a grin. "Just asking, 'cos you seemed so peaceful."
"Well, of course, it was only for a moment," Buffy interrupted hastily.
"Sooo, this dream...," Riley drawled as he started following the pair along the corridor. "Did I...?"
"Gotta go," Willow squeaked hastily. "Wicca group... see you after?"
"Yeah, ok," Buffy started but was already speaking at the quickly receding back of the redhead.
"So, what have you got goin' on tonight?" Riley asked brightly as he and Buffy stepped outside to the sunny yard.
"Oh, patrolling," Buffy sighed without thinking.
"Patrolling?"
"Eeeh... petrolling," she corrected quickly. "You know... Promised to help mom refuel the Jeep. She kinda avoids that after the last time she... And I haven't really seen her lately and... homework. What about you?" She got that out in 1.5 seconds flat in one breath.
"Oh, you know... grading papers," Riley answered with a shrug.
"That's fun," Buffy stated flatly and turned around to face Riley. "So I, uh..."
"Yeah," Riley agreed hesitantly. Buffy's lips were slightly parted, looking oh so inviting. "I guess I won't see you until..." He leaned in and Buffy tilted her head to the side a little.
"What papers?"
"Papers?" Riley blinked. There were only a few inches separating them.
"Oh, um... grading what papers?" Buffy blurted out. "We only have the final left."
"Yeah, I... No, I... Late papers I gotta look at," Riley supplied hastily, his head spinning slightly.
They looked at each other in increasingly uncomfortable silence.
"So...," Riley was the first to cave.
"Class," Buffy agreed immediately.
"I guess I'll see you then."
"Yeah."
With that they quickly departed in opposite directions, each keeping their eyes firmly fixed in their destination.