Disclaimer: I do not own KWMS.
"Harder!"
"With more force!"
"Strike at the centre!"
"Focus young man!"
Each instruction was followed with the sound of two swords clashing and the battle cry of a blond male who struggled to please his new teacher.
"Where is your moxie, young prince? Lost it in the dungeons?" Happosai teased.
Usui grunted a response before charging towards the older male with newfound fortitude.
"Ha!"
Swords clashed again while the two figures danced rhythmically, engrossed deeply in their own battle of dominance.
It had been a week since Happosai, a middle-aged samurai famous for his unrivaled fighting skills throughout the Western Lands, began training Usui to brush up his swordsmanship and skills with other weaponry upon the lord's personal request. Only a single one to one combat was all it took for the pedagogue to gauge that he was facing a rather lethal opponent; if directed properly, this single human being would be competent enough to take on a hundred in times of need. But Happosai would rather be damned before enlightening his pupil regarding his judgment. The young lad had enough arrogance as it was. And as for Usui, he had found his new friend in the form of his teacher. To Usui, he was someone who was not judgmental, someone who did not bow down before his rank, someone who brought out the best of him.
"I presume you skipped today's breakfast," Happosai piped in after managing to swing the sword from Usui's hand.
Eyeing the sword as it smoothly glided through the air, he grinned inwardly and silently celebrated his victory.
Taking advantage of Happosai's lack of attention, Usui landed a strong blow to his stomach making the older man fall on his back with a coughing fit.
"Rule number one of combat. Never take your eyes off your opponent," Usui recited and smirked triumphantly at the shocked look of his sensei. After having his little fun time, he offered the man a hand.
Regaining his composure after being defeated by his pupil for the first time, Happosai smiled proudly before taking his offered hand.
After being pulled up to his feet, he replied blatantly, "Perseverance is what, my lad, will help you along the way. Never let go of it."
"I won't sensei."
Unbeknownst to the both of them, a certain pair of eyes saw the entire scene that unfolded in the training ground.
"Seems like I had been watering the wrong plant all this while," Charles mumbled before sighing dramatically.
"He did what!?"
A scream boomed through the room shaking the pillars with its amplitude and making Kenichi take a step backwards.
"Please calm down, Prince Gerald," he tried to soothe the seething male.
"It's Lord Gerald. Know your honorifics well, servant," Gerald roared at the cowering subaltern. "Did you forget that I have been crowned to be the next lord of the Western Lands?"
"I am afraid things have changed, Prince Gerald," Kenichi emphasized to add more fuel to the fire. "Takumi, I apologize, Prince Takumi is the one next in line to the throne."
"That is preposterous!" Gerald boomed. "Grandfather cannot go back on his words and hand over the crown to that abomina-"
He broke out into a coughing fit before he could finish and plopped down on his bed while a maid rushed beside him to hand him his medicine. Eyeing the diseased man with disgust, Kenichi decided to push his luck.
"The lord deems that you are…unfit for the position."
Finishing the drink in a single gulp, Gerald croaked out an undignified response.
'This place is filled with misfits,' Kenichi mentally commented. 'But I won't lose the throne to a one of them.'
"I would like to have a word with grandfather. I cannot allow such injustice happen to the rightful owner of the crown."
Gerald's words brought him out from his trail of thoughts.
"Definitely sire," Kenichi replied sardonically.
"We need to leave the castle premises."
Happosai's words caught Usui by surprise which made him miss his target by an inch.
"Focus boy!" he shouted.
Taking another spear from the table, Happosai aimed it at the dummy and threw it with calculated force.
Usui watched nonchalantly as the spear pierced the target through its centre.
"This is how you do it," Happosai gloated. "You can't afford to make a single mistake at the battlefield. Otherwise, you may have to pay with your life."
"Well someone should first learn to stop distracting their students," Usui shot back.
"I was being serious," Happosai grinned cheekily.
"Why do we need to leave the castle?"
"A samurai is a human being too, you know?"
Usui raised a delicate eye brow at his words. "What's running through that head of yours, old ha-ouch!" he pouted and rubbed the sore spot of his head.
"Save that tone for your grandfather, sonny. As I was saying, a samurai is also a human being and a human being needs his recreation."
"Why do I have to tag along?"
"Consider it part of your socializing training, young man. It has come to my attention that you fail miserably in that section and as a teacher, I should do everything in my power to pull you out of your miserable state."
"Now why don't I have a good feeling about this, sensei?" Usui asked warily.
The only reply he got was a sheepish smile from the other man.
"I see that you are growing up fast, Misaki," Honoka said as she ran the comb through Misaki's silky soft tresses.
"Why is that?" Misaki asked curiously.
"You went to visit her all alone today and I don't find you in a mournful state," Honoka answered smilingly.
"Mother taught me to be strong, Honoka and I intend to abide by her teachings," Misaki said softly.
Honoka placed a comforting hand on her shoulder which Misaki took in hers eagerly.
"You remind me of her, Misaki."
"I do?" Misaki questioned innocently.
"Yes and not only because of the facial resemblances. You are like her in more ways than one. Your simplicity, honesty, innocence, strength…your worry and love for others were all once the prominent traits of your mother."
Misaki smiled sadly and gently squeezed Honoka's hand.
"The queen's demise still comes to me as a surprise," Honoka continued. "It feels like only yesterday that she asked me to look after you while she accompanies your father to the ceremony. One moment her smiling face flashes before my eyes and the next second the scene of lowering her coffin into the ground replays. What a twist of fate, isn't it?"
"Honoka, I was never allowed to watch my mother's burial for I was not too young…"Misaki reminisced. "…nor was I given the chance to watch her body for the last time."
"It was the king's strict instruction, princess," Honoka said apologetically.
"In a way, I am glad." Misaki replied. "I do not want to mar the last memories of my mother by remembering her severed state. I might have not recognized my mother."
"That would not have been a problem. She was not scarred."
Honoka's reply caught Misaki by surprise.
"What do you mean? Did not you say that my mother was ambushed by a predator?"
"Yes, she was. But the only wound we found was an injured stomach." Honoka grimaced as she recalled the queen's state.
"So the predator ran its claws through her stomach?" Misaki's voice cracked as she imagined what her mother might have gone through that night.
Honoka's eye brows furrowed as a mist of confusion clogged her eyes.
"Honoka?"
"Now that you mentioned it princess, I do not remember seeing any claw marks either."
Misaki quickly turned around to take a closer look at the other female's face.
"Then what was the wound like, Honoka?" she asked with a look of seriousness and worry.
"It was more like…more like her stomach was pierced with a rather sharp object."
"Pierced with a sharp object?" Misaki repeated.
"Yes! It appeared like she was stabbed," Honoka informed and heaved a sigh of relief upon being able to remember without much difficulty. Instantly, her eyes widened as realization dawned on her.
Honoka snapped her head up to meet the equally stunned eyes of Misaki.
"You don't mean…" Misaki ventured dreadfully.
"Please princess, we may be reading into things a lot. This can all be my imagination!"
"No! I need to confirm it myself," Misaki said stubbornly. "Who conveyed you the message of mother's death, Honoka?"
"A messenger from the Western Lands knocked on our door to relay this unfortunate message, my dear." Honoka informed.
"I need to meet this messenger, Honoka. If something else happened with my mother that cursed night then her soul is still not yet at peace. I have to find it out for myself," Misaki voice cracked before a look of determination masked her features.
"Princess-"
"Where will I find this messenger, Honoka?"
A/N: It has come to my attention that in the previous chapter I had made a mistake with Usui's grandfather's name. It should be Charles and not Richards. I apologize for that slight slip up and request you to kindly ignore it. I will be more careful from next time. Anyways, I would like to thank those who reviewed. Some of them were highly encouraging. Please continue reading and reviewing my work. I'll be always grateful. Until next time…