Takeshi was on the ground, panting in exhaustion. He had thought his daily training regiment with baseball would be enough to get him through life as an Exorcist.
He had been wrong. So very, very wrong.
Honoka, who barely had any training as a fighter had been able to trounce his ass within minutes. Even when given a chance to use the harder skills his father had drilled into him, he hadn't stood a chance.
He couldn't even hate her for it. When she realized he wasn't getting up she had been the first to treat him, without being mocking about it. Unlike some idiots he could name.
He could see how she won over a prickly hybrid like Hayato within such a limited time frame. She genuinely cared about her friends.
Takeshi looked at the oddly colored sky in the abyssal realms and came to the hard realization that he didn't have friends. Not really.
All he had were admirers who would only stick around so long as he was popular. The second that star fell, they would vanish in the wind or demand ridiculous favors from him if he asked for their help in a crisis.
It was not a good feeling.
"You okay?" asked Honoka with real concern.
"Just thinking," said Takeshi, sitting up. "I'll be good to go for another round in about five minutes."
Honoka lightly tapped his head with her water bottle.
"What have I said about that fake smile?" she scolded him. "If you're feeling sad, then you shouldn't pretend everything is alright. Crying is a way for people to show they need comforting from those around them."
Takeshi's smile was brittle, and shifted a little to something a bit more tired.
"Besides, you're clearly exhausted and need a break. Training though the pain is a really bad idea, because you might miss something you would otherwise notice and get hurt really badly," said Honoka.
"If I don't train, then how will I get stronger?" he asked.
Honoka once again bopped him on the head, this time with her fist.
"That's why you have teammates and partners for! You can't expect to hold the weight of important things on your shoulders all alone! You said baseball was a team sport, right? How is it fair to everyone else if you go around shouldering the burden of winning by yourself?" she scolded him. "If you take on too much responsibility, then you're only weakening everyone else in the long run!"
Takeshi's eyes widened at that. He could only think back on the number of times his 'friends' went off to horse around while he trained his ass off, even though they were supposed to be training to win tournaments. How everyone shoved the burden of winning the games on him, and gave out false praise. Always demanding, but never really giving up anything worthwhile in return.
Had he really been that blind to what they were doing?
Feeling warm arms wrap around him, he instinctively leaned into the one hugging him. He didn't even realize he was crying tears of frustration, latching on to that comforting warmth.
That feeling of acceptance, and the wide open expanse of a sky that allowed the burden to fall evenly among many, rather than just the one.
A cleansing rain that washed away hurts and rinsed the slate clean of pain. A weird feeling of tranquility came into his heart, and for the first time in a very long time he was at peace with himself.
"What the hell is that?" asked Hayato, baffled. He could feel something happening, but he didn't know what it was.
"That, little hound, is why those born under the blessed Sky are so coveted, even among the higher ranked demons. The feeling of harmony and the way it seeps into the cracks all magic types naturally have until it blends a seamless circle without beginning or end. There's nothing else quite like it, especially since it naturally creates a feeling home and belonging to those who form the bond naturally," said Fon. "Which means we're likely going to be seeing this particular exorcist a lot more, once we get back. Soul bonds like this are permanent and often carry a symbiotic effect on those who have them."
For the entirety of the trip, outside of cleaning out trash demons who were becoming a nuisance, Honoka, Takeshi and the familiars all trained until it was time for bed.
Honoka's ability to use thrown weapons increased as did Takeshi's ability to pinpoint where the ball would hit, using Kojirou's eyesight to aim. Hayato and Jirou made it a game to retrieve as many balls as possible within a time limit, and Hayato was banned from returning without both parts of his body intact.
In a way, the most impressive thing to happen was Lambo's own skills being upgraded to the point he 'aged' a few more years. He now looked closer to a small seven-year-old, rather than the bratty four year old he had been before. I-Pin's growth aged her to something closer to a small eight year old, and her features began to even out just a bit under the careful supervision of her master.
At the very least, her head no longer looked like an oddly-shaped egg with a fuse on top.
Takeshi went to see his father, soon after the recovery period.
"You have a good look in your eye. Did something happen?" asked Tsuyoshi, his demeanor pleasant enough. Under it though was the power of a raging river, just barely under control.
"Dad, you said I would know if I ever found someone worthy of dedicating my sword to, right?"
Tsuyoshi didn't stop his preparation for dinner. He kept silent.
"You know the implications of this, son. To dedicate your sword is not something you should take lightly. Once you have chosen a master, you must stand by them for life. Regardless of how the path may end."
To offer one's blade to a master went deeper than a mere oath of loyalty. It meant offering one's life and soul to another, to serve and follow them even into hell itself. Even if that path ended in tragedy, there was no going back.
Takeshi's eyes glinted with a resolve Tsuyoshi thought he would never see. The boy had surrounded himself with the wrong kinds of people for a very long time. Sycophants all too eager to latch on to the minor fame and glory of a game. He had feared his son would find the wrong person and end up dead or worse in short order.
"I know dad."
Tsuyoshi stopped in his preparation. He looked at his son with a dead serious glint in his eye.
"I have a few conditions before I'll allow this. The first is that I want to meet this person. The second is that you have one year to defeat me without using your familiars to amplify your control over water. If you can meet these two conditions, then I will allow it," said Tsuyoshi.
"Not a problem. I'm sure Honoka won't mind too much."
"Honoka, is it?" said Tsuyoshi, now worried for an entirely new reason.
He didn't want his son to get mixed up with the wrong sort of person over a girl.
A bit later...
"Eh? Your dad wants to meet me?" said Honoka baffled.
Fon kept his silence, though he already knew how this would end.
Takeshi was from the August Rain clan, which had very strict rules about who they were allowed to partner with on a more permanent basis. He had likely gone to his father and asked to dedicate his sword, and thus his very life, to Honoka. Naturally any parent would worry about their children, thus the man wanted to meet the person his son was binding himself to.
If only to test if they were worthy, or if his son truly understood the ramifications of what he wanted to do.
If Takeshi's resolve wasn't strong enough, he could very well be banished from the clan permanently.
Honoka was still rather confused as to why Takeshi's dad wanted to meet her, but she went anyway. Hayato, the ever protective bodyguard, followed her. Lambo was currently sleeping in Honoka's soul realm after playing tag with Natsu for a few hours, while I-Pin was training with Fon for the next few days.
Honoka knew right away when they walked into the restaurant that this was a serious affair. While it might seem peaceful on the outside, the aura within told another story entirely.
It did not help that after a rather odd bit of small talk, Tsuyoshi lead them to the family dojo. The moment she felt his magic begin to gather she knew exactly what this was about.
"Takeshi...what exactly did you tell your father after the class assignment?" she asked slowly.
"Ahahaha... I said I finally found someone worthy of offering my sword to, and he told me I had to beat him without my familiars within a year before he'd allow it," said Takeshi.
"...Why do I have the feeling offering your sword is a symbolic gesture for something else entirely? Something far more serious than simply offering your loyalty?" asked Honoka.
"In our clan, our sword is our very life. To offer it to another has far more reaching consequences than a simple oath of loyalty. Once it has been done, then we must follow those we have pledged ourselves to the end, regardless of the outcome," said Tsuyoshi seriously.
Honoka paled.
"Why me? Surely there are more worthy people for something as serious as this."
"Yeah, but they aren't you. You're the only person who was openly offended at the idea of making me shoulder the burden alone. You actually listen to me and found a way to use my favorite sport in a way that made us all become stronger, and made it a team effort, rather than just for a select few," said Takeshi, eyes serious. "You go out of your way to care about others, without asking for anything in return. I know that if I offered up my sword, you'd never treat it lightly."
Tsuyoshi would reserve judgment for when Takeshi fulfilled his end of the agreement, but from what little he had already seen he could tell Honoka would be the type of 'master' that every member in their clan dreamed about. Someone who actually cared for not just the one bound to her, but to the clan as a whole.
"So...this fight is between you and your father, right? Or is he allowed to have a friend fight with him?" asked Honoka.
"Considering he is the heir to the clan, it would look better to the elders if he fought solo," said Tsuyoshi.
"Are there any restrictions?" asked Honoka seriously. If Takeshi was going to go through with this, she wanted to know exactly what they were dealing with first. She didn't want him to lose his family over his decision to offer his sword up to someone he had only just met.
"No artifacts or cheats. He has to win through pure skill and control over his powers without any amplifiers."
Honoka looked him in the eye, before pulling out a simple leather bracelet. Tied to the leather was a gem of decent quality, but not of any considerable rarity.
"What about gifts for good luck?" she asked.
"They can't be altered or spelled in any way, but it's considered acceptable," said Tsuyoshi.
"I was planning to give this to you later, once we got to know each other a bit better. But I suppose now is as good a time as any."
"Isn't that like the one you gave Hibari for his birthday?" asked Hayato. "What gem did you pick this time?"
"Sodalite," said Honoka with a shrug. "It seemed to suit him best."
"Mind if I see that?"
Honoka handed it over. After a brief inspection, he handed it back.
"It's considered acceptable, since it's still in it's raw state. And it's not like using gems is that rare among exorcists."
"Really?" asked Takeshi.
"They're considered a tool, but none of our clan uses them because they don't suit our style. A few might add them to their sword, but they're not really that popular," shrugged Tsuyoshi. "Jewel Summoner, right?"
"It's a habit of mine to give out gems to people I like and trust. I let my magic pick which one suits their personality best," said Honoka.
Takeshi put the leather bracelet on with a grin. He could feel something from the gem, but whatever power it could contain was currently out of his reach.
"You had better come at me with everything you have Takeshi. Otherwise you will lose the right to bear that crest on your back," said Tsuyoshi.
Takeshi's eyes were steady and firm. He knew that once this began, there would be no going back.
"Are you prepared to accept your actions?" asked Tsuyoshi.
Takeshi thought of that warm light. The way Honoka accepted him as he was, not as what she thought he should be. How she scolded him when he tried to solve things on his own, when burdens were meant to be shared.
Was he prepared to fight his own father for the right to offer his sword to someone he barely knew?
Feeling the weight of the gem on his wrist, the answer was obvious. Honoka hadn't dismissed the revelation of Takeshi's intent, but took it seriously. She cared about him more than anyone had in a very long time, save for his father.
"I'm ready," he said, voice steady.
Even if he lost today and had to sleep in the dorms for a while, he would not regret his actions. He would walk forward on his own feet, relying on that warm light to guide his way.
"Your dad kicked you out?!" said Hayato irate.
"Part of the trial is that until I beat him, I can't use the August Rain title or stay on clan grounds...including my own room. I was allowed to pack a bag beforehand, but I knew this would happen," said Takeshi with a laugh.
Hayato fumed, but accepted it.
"And I take it none of your sycophants offered to let you stay with them?"
"If it was a short term thing, they might have. But since it's a year long trial, they suddenly started closing their doors to me," admitted Takeshi.
Which hadn't surprised him in the least. The second they heard he wasn't allowed home until he beat his dad, all the 'friends' he had quickly changed their mind about associating with him. Like they were afraid that he'd start asking favors that would only burden them because they were 'friends'.
It was an unpleasant shock that had been a long time coming.
"Tch. The kids tend to sleep with Honoka anyway, and if nothing else he can take the couch," said Hayato.
Takeshi blinked at that.
"You'd seriously let me stay here?"
"Honoka," said Hayato slowly and with much emphasis, "Has the rather odd habit of picking up strays that have a lot of potential in them."
"Besides, I think the one year limit is also to give you a chance to create a proper bond with the one you plan to swear your life to," said Honoka. "If that is the case, then it makes more sense for you to stay here with us than sleep in the dorms."
"And you're okay with this?" asked Takeshi.
"Hmph. It wouldn't look good on the Academy if someone who has a fledgling bond to someone who's Sky-oriented had to live on the streets," said Hibari. "That being said, if you wake me up or annoy me I will bite you to death."
"What about my familiars?" asked Takeshi.
"You're talking to the girl who grooms every demon she can get her hands on. Do you really think she's going to make you leave them behind?" deadpanned Hayato.
"Ahahaha...good point."
She turned his own familiars into puddy by the time she was done with them. And without adding any frills or bows either.