Kaoru glanced through the glass pane in the door, and her heart almost stopped, when she noticed a new face. A strikingly familiar face. Dr. Himura was in a T-shirt and sweatpants, his red hair in a bun. Without his usual coat and reading glasses, he looked as if he could fit in with the other young adults.
"Yahiko, you said the new student was a classmate!" She hissed.
"No, I said I recently met him, and you assumed college. I have a job, my life isn't just school and kendo!"
She dealt back his snappiness. "Well, I have a job too, and that's how I know Dr. Himura."
"Really? I thought you're working for pediatric surgery later this year-ow!"
She had jabbed his shoulder, with two fingertips. "Look, I'll explain later. Right now, you can lead practice with everyone else. I'll be there in a second, so I can get Dr. Himura started on the basics." She grabbed an extra shinai from the nearby supply closet.
"Fine." He grumbled. "By the way, he said he used to practice martial arts, so he isn't clueless."
"Thanks, that's good to know." Still, she wondered why Dr. Himura was here tonight. He must have been on call, like she was, but she was curious about why he decided to join the gym's biweekly kendo class. More specifically, the one that she taught. She instructed mostly children and teenagers, and Dr. Himura would have been a better fit for Maekawa-sensei's class in the next room.
Regardless, he's my student now. Hopefully, this won't be awkward. She inhaled deeply and marched into the practice room, making a beeline for the redheaded surgeon. "Uh, hi there."
He didn't seem too surprised to see her, even smiling. "Good evening, Dr. Kamiya."
He was genuinely nice, and the tension within her dissipated. "I didn't know you were interested in kendo. Well, since you're new, I'll work with you one-on-one. Yahiko said that you already have some experience." She handed him the shinai.
"This one did, but it's been many years."
"May I ask exactly what you did? It'd help in gauging your skill level."
"A little of kempo for learning how to avoid hits, but this one's expertise is in iaido." He softly said. The art of drawing the sword and striking as quickly as possible.
"Oh." She blinked. "Then, kendo might be a little more…subdued."
"That's alright. This one doesn't move like he used to."
She laid her shinai over her shoulders. "In that case, we have a full hour to get you loosened up. Let's begin with the steps." She demonstrated shuffling across the floorboards, before inviting him to copy her. He was a little awkward, swaying a little, and perhaps, gripping the shinai would improve his movement.
But he proved his earlier point. He was unwieldy with the bamboo sword, and after a couple minutes, she switched tactics. "How about this? We'll put down the shinai and just focus on maneuvering. During sparring matches, you have to move with your opponent. We can practice going back and forth, to simulate that."
"Ah, that could work." He agreed.
"Okay, so remember your shuffling. Three, two, one." She closed the distance between them, rolling her palms onto his shoulders so he'd be forced to take a step back.
"Oro!" He wasn't prepared, and unfortunately, Kaoru realized that too late. Poor Dr. Himura went into a breakfall, sprawling in a comical heap. A few of the youngest students had witnessed it and began to laugh.
Kaoru was mortified, and helped him up. Her cheeks burned, as she brushed the dust off his shirt. "I'm so sorry! That was my fault."
"Yeah, it definitely was." Yahiko called out from the front of the room. She gave him a disgruntled expression.
"This one isn't hurt." Dr. Himura reassured her. "Please, let's try again."
Once more, she pressed forward to knock him off balance, but this time, he caught himself and recovered to move away. "That's good." She told him. "Now, do the same with me."
He was quicker than she had anticipated, and she hurriedly shuffled in reverse. She concentrated on maintaining the distance, but he was looking ahead. Her back abruptly pressed against the wall and her hands splayed on either side of her. He stopped just short of colliding into her, his face a breath away from hers.
"Was that better?" His eyes were focused, and that light color was violet. Pretty.
Her mouth was suddenly dry. "Okay, that was fast enough, but you didn't shuffle right at the end."
"Oro!"
They continued to oppose each other's movements, in a kind of restrained combat. A steady pace was set, five steps before switching off. He didn't overdo it again, attending to correct shuffling, but her heart was still racing.
After practice ended, Kaoru emerged from the gym, and her attention was drawn to the glint of red hair under lamplight. She walked over to the bench, upon which the remaining student sat. "Oh, you're still here, Dr. Himura?"
"This one had a phone call." He said. "An update on a patient's recovery status."
"I see. But you might have missed the bus. The next one will be here in twenty minutes."
"This one doesn't mind. What about you, Dr. Kamiya?"
"I usually walk, it only takes five minutes. I can wait with you, if you'd like company." She immediately wanted to pinch herself. Her habit was to always wait with the last student, to ensure they returned home safely. But Dr. Himura wasn't a child.
"No, this one will be fine. However, can this one walk with you?"
"Sure. Did you like the class?" She asked, as they headed down the sidewalk.
"It was very enjoyable. How long have you been teaching?"
"Since I was in high school. I've practiced kendo all my life; Otou-san got me into it. Then, I enjoyed it enough to help others, and Yahiko was the first. Speaking of which, did he tell you about this class?"
"He mentioned it, while checking on a patient who had his appendix removed. This one thought that a kendo class would be interesting. Even more so, with you as the instructor."
An embarrassed laugh escaped her. "Geez, flattery won't win you anything."
"This one was serious." He innocently blinked. "This one has seen how diligently you work, and how passionate you are. This one thought you would be a good teacher, and was not disappointed."
She tugged at her jacket, even though she felt warm. "Still, I really appreciate that you want to learn, Dr. Himura."
"The formality isn't necessary in class. Outside of the hospital, this one is the student, Kenshin."
"Then, you have to call me Kaoru; everyone else does."
"That would be disrespectful. Would 'Kaoru-dono' be a good compromise?"
"It's old-fashioned, but I don't mind." She stopped, for they were a block away from her house. "Well, I can manage from here. Take care, on your way home."
"Yes, you too, Kaoru-dono." He lifted his hand, to wave goodbye. "This one will see you tomorrow."
"See you." She waved in return. "Kenshin."
He smiled, and her mouth was dry again. Next time, she had to force the shinai into his hands.