Same Boat
Disclaimer: I do not own Vocaloid.
Chapter 3: Swordplay
From the incident in the classroom, Luka had been avoiding Kaito and Meiko after school. Their usual hangout had now become a dead zone without their laughter to brighten the place. It wasn't that the pink haired girl didn't want to see them… she just couldn't. Damn that idiot for stepping on my glasses... she cursed mentally and walked down the street. Once again she had denied an opportunity with Kaito and Meiko. Once again she felt a piece of her break trying to avoid the heartrending looks on their faces.
Luka stopped at a cross walk and found a peculiar sight. A walking green shrub was carrying large boxes and could barely keep its balance. It bobbed up and down on the sidewalk, moving to a silent beat and bumped into countless people. She sighed and kept her eyes on the traffic signal that would let her cross soon. That was until the bobbing shrub skipped haplessly into the street.
She tried to ignore the endangered plant as cars weaved and turned to avoid it before shouting profane language. The shrub was 3/4th to the other side when a large truck came barreling down the road. Its driver conveniently wasn't paying attention to the wheel as his text messages were too important to ignore.
Acting swiftly, Luka set down her bag and grabbed the shrub by the arm, barely stopping the truck from turning it into a salad. The boxes fell one by one into a giant heap on the ground with the plant sprawled over Luka's body as they had fallen from her tug.
"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow."
The pink haired lass opened an eye that she had closed at some point to see that the shrub had a mouth, eyes, ears and a nose. The green haired girl rubbed her head and stared down at Luka for a moment before pulling her into a bear hug that rivaled a boa constructor's.
"I'm not sure what happened, but thanks for getting me to the other side! No one else was guiding me. And I…" The younger girl began spouting out an elongated tale that could be mistaken for a life story.
Luka's growing anguish was steadily reaching new heights. This kid was missing something really important…
"Could you do me a little favor?" She asked innocently to the girl above her.
"I was purchasing the- Oh sure, whatever you need, my savior." The green haired kid replied and saluted Luka.
"Get. Your. Knee. Off. My. Lungs." She seethed out and pointed to the joint practically making a hole in her pulmonary cavity.
Moving faster than cat out of a bathtub filled with water, the kid got off and bowed many times in apology.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She repeated over and over to Luka.
The high school student lifted herself off of the ground and brushed the clumping dirt from her uniform. With her view now right-side up, the girl got a good look at the walking shrub that couldn't read traffic signals. Now she knew why the kid could be mistaken for plant life, she had dark green hair that spiked slightly in the back and two long side bangs which resembled vines from a distance. Her outfit though was odd. A bright orange kimono wasn't something middle school children often wore…
"How rude! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Gumi." The shrub girl explained and held out her hand.
Luka shook it and gave out her own. Gumi's eyes seemed to widen for a moment before going to their usual size. A small smile tried to tug on her lips, but she seemed to be forcing it back down.
"Um… Megurine-sama…" Gumi began and started kicking the ground slightly to redirect her nervousness. "Could you please help me carry these boxes to my house? It's not that far!" She finished, blasting Luka's eardrums from the abrupt change in pitch and volume.
"What? I'm sorry but I really need t-" Before she could finish, the spinach headed kid latched on to her arm, taking it hostage.
"Oh c'mon, Megurine-sama! Please, please, please, please? You saw what happened to me on the street. I almost got squished!" Gumi retorted and tried flashing her round shinning green eyes at the high schooler.
She does have a point… Would I get charged for not helping or something? Failure to assist? I'm not going to jail for this runt. Luka thought and concluded, nodding to help her.
Gumi went in for another bear, but the pink haired girl quickly side-stepped out of the way.
"But only to your house. After that, I'm leaving." Luka put sternly and began picking up a few boxes.
The middle schooler jumped into the air for moment before taking the rest of the haul and directed her new companion to her house now that she could see past her nose. A large smile that had been itching to appear finally debuted on her face unfortunately out of Luka's sight.
"So you see, that's why I had spent so much time at the store." Gumi finished.
Luka thought her ears were going to fall off.
Gumi must have a bad misconception of the phrase "not that far" because it took them a good hour to reach her house. Another point. It wasn't a house. It was a gigantic traditional style mansion with red gates, statues, lanterns, guardian dogs and other Japanese decor.
She set the boxes down in front of the gate and let out a huff. Well… there goes my afternoon. Luka sighed and turned to head home, but once again was held down by Gumi. This kid was riding on her last nerve.
"Alright, Megurine-sama, I know it's late but could you please stay awhile and help me unpack these things. I'll get my grandpa to give you a ride to your house." The green haired girl pleaded.
Luka immediately pulled her arm away, making Gumi fall on her butt. She sent the youngster a heated glare.
"I saved your face from becoming road kill and helped you carry your junk. If you think I'm even going stay here one more second-
"We're having tuna for dinner." Gumi interrupted quickly and shielded her head as she saw Luka raise a fist into the air, shaking it violently.
All hate, maliciousness, and the desire to send this kid into the stratosphere dissipated at the mentioning of her favorite food. Her stomach growled in agreement as she hadn't eaten a morsel of substance since lunch at school.
"I'll stay for dinner then no more, understand?" Luka questioned and crossed her arms.
Humph… that confirms it.
Gumi shot back up, nodding frantically, and grabbed the boxes to bring them inside with the pink haired girl somewhat reluctantly following her. I'm going to regret this later…
Once inside, Luka took a moment to admire the well built and beautiful place. A koi pond and rock garden for what she assumed was meditation sat in the backyard with a garden of lotus flowers adjacent. An old shed rested on side and had a tight lock on it. The inside was just as wondrous as the outside. Countless traditional paintings and furniture hung from the walls and decorated the inside. There was a basic living room that led into the kitchen, and from what she could tell, the bedrooms were in a separate building connected to the main house. They quickly began unpacking.
"Alright, just set these down right here and we're done. I'll go get dinner started. Feel free to walk around if you'd like!" Gumi waved and raced to the kitchen.
Luka was left to her own devices and began wandering around the compound. This place is too big. She felt trapped by even the thought of living in this house. Everywhere she turned, it led to a dead end or an empty room. The young lass decided to take a different route, and managed to find the way outside to a separate building. This one had the most intricate design and golden dragons guarded the front entrance.
She could hear shouting coming from the interior which peeked her interesting, so she poked her head inside. It was a dojo.
"Now, step forward with you left foot and keep your hips side ways so you can thrust with power!" An old but stern voice hollered across the room.
Luka homed in on an old man wearing a black fighting gi with hakama pants, holding a wooden sword in his right hand, swinging it up and down. His students were copying his movements quite sloppily and not really paying attention to his demonstration.
Just what is this place…? She thought and was about to turn around.
"Ah. It seems we have a guest! Have you come to experience the teachings of Kendo?" The sensei directed at the escaping girl whom immediately froze from being notice.
Luka rotated to the geezer and quickly bowed, shaking her head. She kept her face low as her bangs covered her eyes. His students were now paying attention to her, and she really didn't want to be recognized in a place like this.
"Hey… she's pretty cute. I bet she came to watch me~"
"Naw, man. I saw her first!"
"How about we have an exhibition match?"
The boys began clamoring over one another about who was going to fight who. They didn't notice their sensei creeping closer to them with his sword raised.
WHAP!
WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!
WHAP!
Each testosterone filled male rubbed their heads sorely for their ill conduct in front of their guest.
"We're sorry sensei…" They apologized uniformly and bowed.
"Humph… If there is going to be any exhibition match, how about we play King of the Hill? First person to defeat everyone else consecutively once wins."
The boys pumped their fists into the air agreeing, causing Luka to shake her head dismissively. Boys are retarded… If it wasn't for Gumi's hospitality and the show that was about to start, she would have left the premises by now. The sensei threw down a mat from the storage closet in the back for Luka to sit on comfortably for the brawl.
"Oh did I mention the king would be my grandson beginning off?" The senior pitched in and was succeeded by groans and moans.
Luka raised an eyebrow.
The old man let out a piercing whistle that carried out all the way outside. A few seconds later, a tall man opened the doors, dressed completely in Kendo armor. The black mask and black outfit he wore seemed to really intimidate the boys as they began to draw straws fearfully at who would go first. And they were soooo eager a few seconds ago. Luka chuckled at this and followed the newcomer who took his place at the head of a forming line.
"Alright, rules as follows: First point wins. No tricks, no games. I want a clean fight. You may begin when ready." The sensei refereed from the sidelines as to not get caught in the action about to erupt.
One by one, the boys stood up to challenge the man in black. He raised his sword high into the air as each one approached him. Luka placed her chin into her palm, waiting for the man to fall and the next idiot to be crowned king. The first boy yelled a battle cry as he sprinted across the wooden floor, aiming to gain a point on the chest. His opponent merely side-stepped out of the way and struck him on the back, knocking the wind from his lungs. The pink haired girl raised her head slightly. The action was so quick her eyes almost missed it.
The boy hacked up some saliva and trudged to the end of the line. The next sucker was a lot more careful than the first and tried finding a weak point to attack from. He lunged and pulled back several times to fake the man in black out then slashed when he thought he had the advantage. Instead of dodging like last time, the more experienced swordsman parried then made a swift horizontal strike to his ribs. Luka winced as she could hear a distinctive crack resonate into the air. Everyone hissed at the same time from that blow.
The pattern continued like so until the 15th and last boy just fell down on to his knees begging for mercy. The man in black whopped him over the head as if their sensei would and left the dojo without a single word.
"And that my young pupils is what you will become. I hope you have learned something other than how to get your asses handed to you." Their sensei finished and dismissed the class for the day.
Each boy trekked home with fresh bruises and cuts that they would have to explain to their parents. Luka still sat on the mat, spellbound by the ability of the only king throughout the entire game. The old man walked over to her and laughed loudly.
"Now that you have seen the end result of countless years of training, have you grown interested in- HEY? Where are you going?" The geezer cut off his proposition when Luka shot up and raced out of the room. He scratched the bald spot on his head before smiling to himself.
The young lady dashed from the dojo's entrance and scanned the premise. Where is he? She pondered and checked the backside of the training facility. When she heard the flow of water from a facet, her pace increased. Luka rounded a corner then jumped back as her eyes fell on the masked warrior. He had pulled down his gi top so it lay limp around his waist, giving her a good view of his torso. It was chiseled. Her mind went blank for second. Why in the world had she been so eager to meet him? His fighting skills were impressive nonetheless, but his demeanor…
As she brought her thoughts together which spawned more questions, her mystery swordsman looked up and noticed her, immediately dropping the hose which was dosing his overheated body with cool refreshment. He took a step back as if to sprint off.
"Wait. Wait!" She called out without thinking and mentally cursed at herself.
The black warrior didn't move from his spot almost reluctantly and held his ground. Now what? Luka took a large gulp and tried to find her voice.
"That was very… impressive back there." She forced out awkwardly.
The man simply nodded and tried to resume cleansing himself. He picked up the hose and turned the nozzle for more pressure. Surprisingly, even with his long arms, he couldn't get all parts of his back.
"Um… let me help you." She stammered out and took grasp of the rubber hose.
He pointed to spots and she aimed the water, making sure not to burn his skin. It was surprisingly pale in her opinion. He had large shoulder blades and tall physique as he towered over her slightly by a good head. Luka reached forward to pull the kendo guard mask off his face but was stopped by a quick large hand as soon as she touched the metal. The warrior twisted her forward and away from the only garment that sealed his identity. He shook his head silently and turned the water off.
Luka's face flushed from their close proximity of a few mere inches separated them. This was her first time being so close to someone… lacking much attire.
"ONII-CHAN!" A high-pitch voice squealed from behind.
The pink haired girl glanced over to see her favorite walking shrub jump into the air and clamp on to the warrior's back. He immediately began to flail widely, trying to knock her off.
Onii… chan? These two are related?
Their personas were completely different from one another. How could they possibly coexist? Luka watched as he tried to shake Gumi off to no avail then optioned to whack her with the hose. She nimbly dodged, still attached to him, and got a firm grasp on his helmet.
"It's so hot out! Why are you still wearing this? Lemme take it off for you, onii-chan~!" The middle schooler announced and ripped the protective covering off.
Purple hair tussled out in long locks, followed by two piercing sapphire eyes.
Luka turned to stone.
"I can explain!" Gakupo tried to refute but was met with no response.
She passed out on to the ground.
"Woah… you are a lady killer, onii-chan…" Gumi praised and poked Luka on the cheek.
Crap…