Disclaimer: No one belongs to me! *sighs sadly*
A/N: AU POT story. (As before, RK and Kurogane fans do not kill me!)
A big thank you to all for your kind reviews! I am eternally grateful! A special note for Suke-san: Hoi! Hoi! ^^ Saito is one hot Miburo neh? Yes, this is partially inspired by RK.
Glossary of kendo terms at the end of the story. *coughs* There are a number of them, so please be patient.
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Flashback: Chi (Blood) Part I
"Nya, Fuji! Hurry up! I promised Kurata-san we'll be at his dojo by three!" Eiji's face was scrunched up with exasperation as he turned back and glared at his friend. Fuji's reply was a serene smile as he continued with his leisurely pace of walking.
"Hurry up! Kurata-san said that he will give us a short lesson on kendo and we might even get a chance to practice with a shinai!" As if to highlight his point, Eiji started to swing an imaginary shinai at Fuji, punctuating each of his movement with loud exclamations: "Hoi! Hoi! Hoi!"
"Neh, Eiji. I think you've been watching too many samurai dramas on TV. Your obsession has reached new heights." Fuji glanced slyly at his friend, "Do your parents know that you've been hiding in the living room closet at night when they are watching the dramas?"
"Nya! You can't tell my parents, Fuji! They will kill me!" Eiji burst out, his eyes wide with sudden worry. Fuji hurriedly faked a cough to cover his smile: it was so easy to tease Eiji.
A look of mock seriousness on his face, Fuji continued, "I think those dramas are hardly suitable for boys of our age, Eiji. To be exposed to such violence at the tender age of nine...I mean, look at the effect on you."
Eiji was becoming highly agitated: if possible, his face was attaining a hue similar to that of his hair. "Unnya! I am not obsessed! I am just interested...alright, make that very interested in samurais! And we are going to a kendo class, not a kenjutsu one! It's not violent!" Eiji's voice become even louder, "Besides, Okita Souji was nine when he joined a dojo and learnt kenjutsu."
Fuji stopped smiling and blinked. Then he asked carefully, "Neh, Eiji, are we talking about the same Okita Souji who was the Ichiban Tai Taichou of the Shinsengumi?"
Eiji nodded vigorously in affirmation. Fuji resisted an urge to laugh: the fact that Okita Souji was a tensai at kenjutsu and belonged to a totally different era seemed to have escaped Eiji completely.
"Nya! We have arrived! Let's go in!" Eiji grabbed Fuji's wrist and dashed for the entrance.
Never a dull moment when you are with Eiji! Fuji thought in wry amusement as his friend literally dragged him across the courtyard.
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Kurata Yonichi was expressionless as he stood in silence, watching the two boys engaged in kakari geiko. The air was filled with sounds: the almost imperceptible sound of his breathing, the sound of sliding feet as the two boys moved around swiftly, yet cautiously, and the hypnotic sound of shinai hitting against shinai as each attack was warded off. He gave an inner smile when Ashihei landed a strike on Oda's men. Although Oda's techniques were stronger that that of Ashihei's, the latter had natural instincts and was quick to capitalize on any mistakes made by his opponent. Both of them were very strong, and would do very well for their upcoming National matches. From the corner of his eye, Kurata caught a movement and his stoic mien crinkled into a warm smile while he saw the two small, school uniform-clad figures standing at the doorway.
"Yame!" At Kurata's command, the two boys halted immediately. Nodding his head, Kurata continued. "Ashihei, your stamina has improved but your ashi sabaki is not fluid enough. Go work on it. Oda, your shikake waza is good, but you'll need to polish up your oji waza. Both of you go and practice by yourselves now."
"Hai!" The two boys bowed respectfully.
"Ah, Eiji-kun, you've finally arrived. I see you've brought along your friend too." Kurata's eyes twinkled merrily as he walked towards the grinning red-haired boy, and his silent friend with the startling blue eyes. Kurata was an old friend of Eiji's family, and had recently paid them a visit. Seeing the energetic boy's interest in all things related to samurais, he had extended an invitation to his dojo which was readily accepted.
"This is Fuji, Kurata-san!" Eiji's excitement was palpable. "Nya! Who are those boys? They looked so kakkoi when they were sparring!"
"Ashihei and Oda are both my students. They have been learning kendo with me for the past five years. Oda is a san-dan and Ashihei is a ni-dan. They are here for extra practice today because they'll both be competing nationally next week."
Eiji's eyes grew even wider at Kurata's revelation. "Kakkoi! Nya, Kurata-san! Are you really going to give Fuji and I a lesson today? Will we get to hold a shinai as well?"
"I'll give you a basic lesson today. If both of you do well enough, I'll let you practice some swings with a shinai." Kurata smiled, "Of course you'll have to address me as Kurata-sensei, and you'll have to change into the appropriate attire."
"Hai!" Saying this, Eiji grabbed hold of Fuji once again and sped off in the direction of the changing room. Watching the backs of the boys, Kurata was curious: for a nine-year old boy, Fuji was strangely still and quiet. Not only that, he could sense that Fuji was uneasy as well. He wondered why it was so.
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I can't breathe properly. Fuji thought as he and Eiji sat in seiza position, watching Kurata as he carried out nanane buri. I haven't been able to breathe properly since I stepped into this dojo. There's a strange pressure bearing down on me, as if the air is too heavy and dense. Fuji shifted uneasily. He had never worn a kendo keikogi and hakama before, but the weight and drape of the clothing felt strangely familiar. Yet, it was a familiarity that disturbed him. With each breath that he took and each slight movement that he made, the worn material seemed to be caressing his skin, sending myriad sensations down his nerve endings.
Then, there were the whisperings in his ear, soft, yet incessant. Tried as he could, Fuji could make no sense out of the jumbled, incoherent words. Please, Kami-sama, let this end soon. I just want to leave this place. Fuji begged silently.
"Alright, I'll let both of you have a few practice swings with a shinai!" Eiji whooped in delight at Kurata's announcement.
No! Something screamed inside Fuji as he stood up slowly and extended his hands to receive the shinai from Kurata. The murmurings in his ears seemed to become even louder. For a moment, Fuji hesitated. Then he saw the curious look in Kurata's eyes. Gritting his teeth, Fuji resolutely grabbed hold of the shinai.
The whisperings stopped abruptly. The silence was so sudden that Fuji almost lost his balance.
"I hope you boys were watching properly just now! We'll start with your suburi. Haji…" A middle-aged lady appeared at the doorway.
"Sumimasen! Kurata-sensei, there's an important call for you from the National Kendo Association."
"Arigato, Noame-san. I will take the phone call right now. Oda! Ashihei! Both of you stop your practices for a while and help Eiji and Fuji here with their suburi. Eiji-kun, Fuji-kun, I will be back after the call." Saying this, Kurata followed Noame out of the dojo.
Oda and Ashihei were still in their full dogu. Taking his men off, Ashihei grinned at Fuji and Eiji. "Nice to meet you! I am Ashihei Kyotaro, sixteen years old and kendo extraordinaire. Tipping his head to the left to indicate his companion, Ashihei continued, "And this guy is Oda Ryushiyo, seventeen years old. He's keeping his men on because he has an ugly face."
Behind his men, Oda threatened jokingly in a muffled voice: "Ashihei, would you like to polish the floors of the entire dojo?"
"Hai, hai." Ashihei's face became serious again. "We'll start with jogeburi. Oda and I will swing our shinais, both of you watch and then follow the both of us." Ashihei and Oda started swinging their shinais in up and down motions.
As the shinais moved through the air with whooshing sounds, without warning, the murmurings in Fuji's ears started anew. What's happening? Fuji thought, feeling disoriented. Through the babble of sounds, he heard Ashihei's shout of "Hajime!" and started to swing his own shinai as well.
The air in the dojo shifted subtly.
He was swinging his shinai when they called out to him.
"Hey you!" He shifted his eyes to look at them, but didn't stop with his swings. Up and down, up and down, his shinai cut through the air with economical swiftness.
One of them sneered at him. "Denbe and I heard that you are a tensai, but you don't look like much! Just a small, skinny boy with a pretty face."
He ignored them. Sometimes pests leave on their own if they didn't get any response.
"Scared aren't you? You lily-face brat." The other person was taunting him now. "Kenji, we both know why he's here!"
His eyes narrowed dangerously, but the men continued to leer at him. "Oh yes, he is Hijikata-san's favourite. You really must be very 'talented'. For him to like you this much, you must give him a really good …"
Something hot and dark flared inside him. "Hajime." He said coldly.
"Hajime!" Denbe shouted, already swinging his shinai at him.
"Kote! Kote! Do!" He called out in quick succession as his shinai struck Denbe's left and right wrists, before landing on Denbe's chest with a vicious swing.
Denbe staggered backwards with the impact, but quickly regained his balance. "Kya!" Denbe screamed loudly, running forward with his hands extended backwards, holding the shinai in a thrust position.
He did a swift ninety degree turn leftwards, and swung his shinai downwards onto Denbe's. In a simultaneous movement, his arms shifted and he thrust the handle of his shinai sideways into Denbe's middle. "Seme!" Denbe crumpled.
Kenji swore loudly as he charged and brought his shinai downwards.
He neatly side-stepped Kenji, before counter-attacking with his shinai. "Men!"
Kenji's men flew off his face upon the shinai's impact. "Teme!" Kenji swung his shinai in a broad arc as he cursed loudly.
He raised his own shinai and let it slide against the attacking shinai, weakening its force. Lightning fast, he dropped to his haunches and thrust the tip of his shinai upwards into Kenji's throat "Tsuki!"
A choked sound came from Kenji as he fell down heavily.
"Kya!" Denbe was attacking again, swinging his shinai sideways.
"Uchiotoshi!" He shouted as he swung his shinai down onto Denbe's shinai, the impact so great that the latter's shinai splintered and flew apart.
"Shinde." He said calmly as he prepared to strike Denbe's exposed face.
Suddenly someone shouted his name.
"Souji!"
"Fuji!"
"Fuji!"
The fog surrounding his senses cleared suddenly.
Fuji stood in ice-cold shock as he stared at the scene before him. Ashihei was half sitting, half crouching on the ground, his right hand extended to shield his face. Behind him, Oda's hands were wrapped around his throat as he coughed violently. Fuji felt his heartbeat slowed to a crawl when he saw a splintered shinai, one half was close to Ashihei and the other half was in front of Eiji. Blood trickled steadily down from a fresh cut on Eiji's face.
"Fuji-kun," Kurata said quietly as he held on to an anxious Eiji, "perhaps you should let go of your shinai."
Slowly, Fuji lowered his shinai from its striking position. Kami-sama, what happened? I wasn't even aware that I had raised my shinai...His vision became blurred, and then all strength seeped from his body. His shinai dropped from his hands and he collapsed onto the wooden floor. As the last trace of consciousness fled from him, Fuji remembered only one thing: the dark terror in Ashihei's and Oda's eyes.
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Okita Souji (1844-1868) Ichiban Tai Taichou (Captain of First Unit ) of Shinsengumi. Original name Soujiro Harumasa. A child prodigy of kenjustsu, able to wield a katana, a bokken or a shinai all with equal skill. Although feared for his skill, Souji was apparently a cheerful person who loved playing with children.
Shinde die
Kakkoi cool
Kendo Terms
Ashi sabaki Footwork
Dan Rank
Do Chest/abdomen protector
Dogu Kendo protectors (men, kote, do, tare) AKA Bogu
Hajime Begin
Hakama Split skirt
Kakari geiko All out attack exercise
Keikogi Exercise jacket
Kote Fencing gauntlet (glove)
Men Face mask, men point
Nanane buri Side to side suburi
Oji waza Defensive techniques
Seiza Formal sitting position
Seme To break opponent's centre by pushing in with one's shinai
Shikake waza Offensive techniques
Shinai Bamboo sword
Suburi Shinai swinging practice
Tsuki Throat protector, tsuki point
Uchiotoshi waza Strike the shinai down technique
Waza Technique
Yame Stop