A/N: Thanks to everyone for following me. Sorry it takes so long to update, I'm currently in college, so it gets pretty tough. Anyway, here's the new chapter. Please Enjoy!
"…And then, he asked me out for a date!"
Excited giggling assaulted Kaoru ears as Momoko babble on incessantly about the boy she'd met yesterday. Ignoring her friend's girly chatter, the green puff focused instead on the song on her MP3 player.
She sighed. Her mind started playing back her own misadventures of the previous day.
Yesterday…
"Kaoru, your late," he said, "I was about to leave without you!"
Kaoru cringed. As expected, her father was waiting for her at the front gates. He stood stoically with his arms crossed and his eyebrows furrowed behind his mask. Besides him was their blue minivan idling at the curb.
"Sorry, dad," she said ruefully, "I lost track of time."
Her dad sighed exasperatedly; his features loosened a little. "At least you're here now," he said, "Let's be off."
The father and daughter duo quickly got into the car and drove off.
"Your brothers went ahead with your mother," said Tokio as he pulled onto the city beltway, "I expect them to have many questions for you."
Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Where are we going?" She asked.
Her father smiled.
"I have decided to enroll you and your brothers into a mixed martial arts class," he said. "After that fiasco two months ago, I realized that we are unprepared to deal with this crazy city. Now seem as good a time as any."
"Don't we have the Powerpuff Girls keeping us safe?" Kaoru asked.
Tokio chuckled. "The girls have a lot of work on their hands. It's not as if they can show up every time we're in a sticky situation."
Kaoru grunted. If only you knew, she thought.
She heaved a tired sigh settled in her seat, watching the buildings fly by.
"We're here!"
The sound of Kaoru father's voice jerked her from her nap. She opened her eyes just in time to see the car pull into a parking space in front of a large building.
Standing two stories tall, the building was covered entirely with white tiles, and the roof was flat but with clay tiles slanting down the edges. The first floor was marked with a large window that wrapped around the building. The second floor, on the other hand, was completely hidden by the tiling, and only two windows seemed to poke through. The entrance, itself was set above a set of stairs, and it featured a large wooden sign with the words, "Nakamura Dojo" written in Kanji.
The interior was built like a gymnasium. The walls were white-washed and bordered with dark molding. Blue cushions covered parts of the wall and the entire floor, except for the entrance hall and the connecting hallways leading to the locker room, showers, and bathrooms.
Kaoru emerged from the locker room, having taken off her favorite yellow Jacket and baseball cap; she had changed into a black sports bra, white tank tops and a pair of green shorts.
"You're late, Kaoru!"
"Yeah, where have you been?"
Kaoru groaned as her two brothers greeted her in their usual callous ways. Shou grinned cheekily at her whilst perched on top of a bench; his older brother stood behind him, his arms crossed and a smirk gracing his face.
"Where have you been, Kaoru? Out with your girly friends again?" Shou asked smugly.
"Yeah," Kaoru said lazily, "So what?"
Dai gasped in mock fright. He put his hand to his forehead and pretended to swoon.
"Oh my dear sister, I was so concerned," he said melodramatically, "Perish the thought that you'd walk through that door wearing that horrid green dress, and those white stockings." he shuddered. "I don't think I can take it."
Kaoru rolled her eyes; her brother was ever the actor.
"Oh please, that was one time. I was on a date."
"And besides," She continued, "I'm a girl, in case you haven't noticed. I can wear girly things if I want."
Dai shrugged. "Oh, of course," he said, "But you see, you have to be careful. The last time you dressed girly, you nearly gave dad a heart attack."
Kaoru cheeks grew red, but she glared at him defiantly. "I didn't know it would affect him that much."
"You nearly made dad loose a match!" Said Shun.
Dai lamented. "That day could've ended really badly, if the Powerpuff Girls hadn't shown up."
Kaoru growled. "Now look here you—"
"That's enough!" Tokio shouted; his voice quelled the bickering.
"Dai, Shou, stop teasing your sister," he said quietly, "If she wishes to dress more feminine, that's her prerogative."
"Of course it is Dad," said Dai.
"Yes, Dad," said Shou.
Tokio glanced at his daughter and cleared his throat loudly into his fist.
"Ahem," he said, "Of course Kaoru, a little warning would help, next time."
Kaoru blushed. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind, Dad."
He chuckled good-naturedly.
"Alright, now that we're all done fooling around, let me introduce you to my friend Jagga Nakamura and his son Tora."
The three siblings turned their attention to the two people besides their father. The man known as Jagga was thin man but strong with muscles on par with their father's. He wore a black muscle-shirt and army green shorts. His hair was grey and spikey and tied back with a white strip of linen. His brown eyes beamed at the three newcomers.
Next to him was a boy, around the age of thirteen. His hair was smooth and well comb, draping down to obscure one of his jade eyes. A small wolf knot protruded from the rear of his head. He wore a simple green polo shirt and dark blue jogging pants.
"Jagga is the founder and master of this dojo," Said Tokio, "You will be under his care until I come pick you up later."
Jagga smiled. "So this is your family, Tokio? I'm sure they'll fit right at home here."
He stepped forward and addressed the group.
"Welcome to my fine dojo," he said, "Here we learn how to defend ourselves inside and outside the arena."
The three exchanged nervous glances. Jagga turned to his son.
"Alright, son," he said, "I'll leave everything to you, alright?"
"Sure dad."
Jagaa smiled. "Have fun."
He left Tora in charge, and escorted Kaoru's dad upstairs.
Tora put his fingers to his mouth and blew a shrill whistle
"Everyone, gather around!" He exclaimed.
There was a flurry of noise. And suddenly, the siblings found themselves surrounded by no less than twenty brawny teenage boys. Several of them were many times bigger and stronger than Tora, yet all of them seemed to respect the raven-haired boy.
Tora spoke again. "Alright everyone, I would like you to meet the Matsubura siblings. They are Dai, Shou, and Kaoru, and they will be joining our dojo, today."
There were faint murmurings among the crowd, as they sized up the newcomers, especially Kaoru. Surprise and disbelief were the main reactions, while others outright scoffed at the notion of a girl joining. A smirk curled out of Kaoru's mouth and she raised an eyebrow defiantly.
Oh, I can't wait to thrash these suckers.
Tora cleared his throat loudly, drawing the attention back to him.
"Okay," he said, "I want everyone to find a partner, and then we'll go on our warm-up run. Let's go!"
At the dismissal, everyone rushed to pair-up with each other. Dai found a partner in a pupil of similar age, while Shou managed to snag an older sempai. That only left Kaoru. She scanned around the room and found a group of three boys laughing uproariously about something, and Kaoru had the sneaking suspicion it was about her. They looked to be two years older than she and much taller.
This wasn't going to be fun.
She blew out a lungful of air and made a beeline towards the trio.
"Hey!" she called out tapping one on the shoulder, "Will one of you be my partner?"
The boys just laughed in her face. One of them bent down to her level and taunted her.
"Aw, what's the matter? Does the widdle girl want to play?"
Kaoru seethed; her hands balled into fists. The trio paid no heed the inferno they created. They just kept on laughing while the leader continued his spiel.
"Well, alright," he sneered, "But can you wait a few minutes? The big boys are busy. Why don't you go bother someone else?"
His buddies continued guffawing, oblivious to the rage they ignited.
With a growl, Kaoru charged towards the leader of the gang, and landed a flying kick to his backside. The boy cried out as the blow sent him sprawling on the ground.
"Fuck!" He gasped, "You little bitch!"
"What's the matter, hotshot?" Kaoru taunted, "Did the big ol' boys get beaten by a wee little girl?"
The boy sneered.
"You're gonna regret messing with us, you little bitch! Get her, guys!"
He and his pals quickly surrounded Kaoru, trying their best to intimidate the girl.
Kaoru remained unfazed. Carefully, she lowered her center of gravity and waiting for them to attack.
A bull-like roar erupted from her left, and one of the boys charged towards her.
She scoffed, Rookies.
Coolly, she dodged his attack. She caught his right arms and twisted it around tightly, sending the assailant tumbling head over heels to the ground.
She spun around to intercept another attack, this time from the other henchman. She held the boy's arm tightly against her and delivered a hard side kick to gut. The boy doubled over in pain, and she twisted around to sweep his legs out from under him.
In less than a minute, she'd left two assailants sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath. Now, all that remained was the ring leader himself.
"I-Impossible," he stammered, "You're just a girl. How could you just…"
He roared with frustration. "No! Fuck this shit!"
He gave a hoarse cry and charged towards her.
Kaoru scoffed again. She deftly evaded his outstretched arms, grabbed him by the head, and brought it down while her knee rose up to meet it. There was a sickening crunch, and the victim fell onto his back, blood flowing from his nose.
"Pathetic," she spat at the unconscious figure, "Just pathetic! How can you be in this dojo and suck so badly?"
"Those three rarely ever show up here," said one of the other students, "And when they do, they're either drunk, or too hammered."
"Tch," Kaoru said "worthless."
She turned away, about to leave, but one of the aggessors grabbed her by her ankle, coughing up a little blood.
"Fuck off, you bitch!" cried he, "You better watch out, or else I will…erk!"
Whatever he wanted to say to Kaoru he did lost to a lamentable squeak. As Kaoru's hand came down on his throat and squeezed down on the delicate cartilage. Kaoru glowered at him, her eyes still blazing with malice.
"You're hardly in a position to make any threats."
The boy gasped for air, clawing desperately at her hand, but she held fast.
"You know, people like you are a dime a dozen," she said, "They underestimate me all the time, and you know what? That's all the better for me."
Her victim said nothing; he was turning blue from the lack of oxygen. Kaoru leaned in close to his ear and whispered.
"If you ever insult me again, I might do something I'd later regret. Do I make myself clear?"
The boy nodded vigorously. Kaoru let out a sadistic smirk.
She released her hold on her prey, letting him regain his breath. Then, she clasped his ears between her palms, lifted his head close to her face, and, with a great force, smashed it back down on two the blue mat.
All his struggling ceased.
Kaoru rose to her feet and surveyed the three boys lying unconscious on the ground, one bleeding from his nose.
She smirked. Weak, she thought, I never even got winded.
Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her, but before she could defend herself, her arm got caught in a vice-like grip. There was a blur, and the next thing she knew, Kaoru was pinned face down to the mat with the wind knocked out of her. Grunting, she tried to free herself from her sudden predicament, but to no avail. A shadow loomed over her as he held her in place, trapping her left hand behind her back.
"My, my, what a mess," Tora's voice sighed, as he observed the carnage created by that little girl.
Who would've thought someone so cute could cause so much pain. He smirked; oh how she interested him so.
"That was quite impressive," he said, easily resisting her incessant struggling. "You are a good fighter."
"Chikushu, let go of me!" Kaoru griped.
Tora ignored her. "You know, I've been looking for a good training partner for a while now," He said," Do you think you're up for it?"
Kaoru just glared at him.
The sound of footsteps reached Kaoru ears. She looked up to see her father come down with Jagaa.
"Pops I really like this girl!"Cried Tora, "Can I keep her, please?"
"I'm not a dog," she groaned, "Kuso!"
Jagga just laughed, while his counterpart shook his head amusingly. (see a/n)
"Sure, son," said the former, "Just take good care of her."
Tora smiled mirthfully. "Thanks dad!"
Quickly, he released his hold on Kaoru. Then he turned to two younger pupils.
"Genta and Mitsuhiko," he commanded, "Please take these three upstairs."
"Hai." The pair nodded before dragging unconscious trio out the back door. Meanwhile, Kaoru got to her feet, messaging her sore arm.
"The rest of you follow me," he said to the crowd, "We're gonna take our warm-up lap."
With a final "let's go" he led everyone running out the backdoor.
Kaoru couldn't help but gape at the scenery, for concealed behind the building was a giant grassy knoll with a path winding its way up the side. Together, the group jogged along the winding path, the afternoon Sun beating down on their backs. The climb itself was pretty hard, and Kaoru was glad she had at least some training before joining. She could see Shou and his partner struggle in the back.
She grinned. Amateurs!
She quickened her pace to joint up with Tora. Gone was his green shirt, and all that left were his pants and white wife beaters. Kaoru couldn't help but admire how Tora's muscles rippled from his exertions. Kaoru flushed deep red and tried to look away, but his body was strangely alluring. (Un)fortunately, it was not long before they'd arrived back at the dojo.
For the rest of the day, Kaoru trained with Tora. Together, the duo practiced brand new techniques (for Kaoru) and worked on fine-tuning their fighting style.
All the while, Kaoru couldn't help but watch her partner's movements. It was fluid and so graceful; she watched as his muscles flexed and contract with every punch and every kick while beads of sweat decorated his skin like pearls in a necklace.
Kami, she thought, blushing, I'm as bad as Momoko.
Of course, her conflicted mindset would soon cost her, and it wasn't long before Tora managed to take her to the mat.
"Oof!" She cried as she found herself pinned to mat for the second time that day.
Tora hovered over her, a look of mock concern on his face.
"Ma, ma," he said, "I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed in you. If you're going to be this distracted with me, then I think it is best that you worked with someone else."
"What?" She cried, "I'm not distracted."
"Sure you weren't," he teased, "As if you weren't ogling me this whole time."
Kaoru inwardly cringed. Crap he caught me!
"I have no idea what you are talking about," She retorted. Tora scoffed.
"Just admit it," He said, ruffling his hair haughtily, "You are captivated by my dashing good looks."
Kaoru growled. She brought her feet to his chest and pushed him off hard. Quickly she got to her feet and attacked with renewed fervor.
She punched. She blocked. She kicked. She slashed. Tora dodged hem all, bobbing and weaving gracefully, his irritating smirk still affixed on his face.
She delivered a nice spinning back kick, but Tora blocked it expertly and, capturing the leg, moved to sweep her off her remaining foot. She fell onto her stomach, and the force knocked the wind out of her.
Tora let her go and crouched down besides her.
"That was marginally better," He said, "You alright?"
Kaoru winced as she rolled onto her back. "Kuso!" she grunted, hitting the mat with her fists, "Why can't I hit you!"
"You're too predictable, and you're quick to anger," He said, "You barrel into things without thinking. You rely too much on your emotions. In the long run, this could lead you to trouble."
He glanced up at the clock and gasped.
"Ah! It's late. Guess we'll have to work on that next time."
Kaoru sighed tiredly. Tora rose to his feet and got everyone else's attention.
"Hey guys!"
Immediately all activity ceased as everyone stopped to listen.
"You're all dismissed for today," he said, "Have a good week, and I'll see you next time."
With that, everyone headed to the lockers to change. Tora was about to follow when he spotted Kaoru still lying on the matted floor.
"You're not coming?" he asked.
Kaoru stared at him incredulously.
"I can't" she said, "Haven't you forgotten?"
Confused, Tora frowned before finally remembering…
Oh right!
He chuckled, his face turning red. Quickly he waved at her and ran to join the other boys in the locker room.
Kaoru sighed and lay down on the comfortable mat. It wasn't long before sleep started taking over…
"Kaoru…Kaoru! Wake up! We're here!"
"Huh wha?"
The green puff jerked awake as she felt someone tapping on her shoulders. Slowly, it registered that the car had stopped and everyone was getting off. Quickly, she unbuckled seatbelt and climbed out of the car.
"Where to, Keane-sensei?" Asked Momoko.
Quietly, Keane pointed to the sign saying "Monster Ramen"
"There that should be it." She said.
The girls looked perplex.
"But isn't that…"Momoko stammered.
"Yeah, I know right?" Kaoru said.
"Are you sure, sensei?" asked Miyako.
"Of course. " Keane beamed. "Ja, Ikimashou?"
A/N: A special thank you for Bipinkbunny for allowing me to use one of her deviations for the cover art. Props to you!
u/2186349/BiPinkBunny