Chapter 4

A CHANGE OF HEART

"What the heck is going on?!" Fujimaru struggled to move his once nimble legs, but they felt like pudding. Fuuko stood tall and proud –

and just like that, she changed in Tokiya's eyes.

He had seriously underestimated her. He secretly thought that she was their weakest link. That because she was a woman, she would be both a liability and a casualty to Team Hokage. So he deeply ingrained these perceptions in his mind to push away some foreign instinct to worry for her safety. Honestly, despite all the umbrage between them, he did not want to see her hurt by men twice her age and size. It was to her advantage that she was brave, fierce, independent, and now – he had just discovered that she was ingenious and adept at using her madogou.

You learn a lot about a person by watching them fight.

Fujimaru might not have understood what had just happened to him, but Tokiya read her tactic early on. Fuuko was not missing clawing him with her kazu no tsume, but she did it on purpose so the wind pressure could gradually divest that pathetic geezer of his speed. So that was the reason he couldn't move his legs. Served him right.

Now, if only Kirisawa were not distracted. Recca was yelling his lungs out and commanding Fuuko to finish off the lecherous pig. Tokiya frowned as he watched Fuuko listen to the desperate pleas for mercy from the scumbag.

And he discovered that Kirisawa was vain.

Tokiya's frown deepened as he watched lose the upper hand just because Fujimaru was praising her beauty. It was as if it were the first time she had been complimented on her good looks and she was basking in the revelation.

She doesn't know? Tokiya wondered. Fuuko was a lot of things, but ugly was not a trait he associated with her the moment they met, or as they were getting to know each other. True, she flouted his typical standards of feminine beauty – pristine, angelic, elegant, serene, flawless, but there was something about her that placed her in a class of her own. Not to mention, that now she was utterly sexy, and his mind had just betrayed him. Or was it betrayal when Fujimaru was revealing the truth before his very eyes?

Oh no. Don't go there, Mikagami.

He was quite horrified. Fujimaru's depraved nature continued to reveal itself as he shamelessly stripped his teammate bare in front of the audience. The catcalls and cheers from a large number of the male contingent told Mikagami that the crowd was enjoying the spectacle. Fuuko was being turned into a spectacle. He balled his hands into fists. If Fuuko would not finish Fujimaru off, then he would find a way to tear him apart in secret.

His heart raced as he watched Fujimaru claw away the last of Fuuko's outer clothes while repeatedly calling her ugly. The shame she must feel. Losing her dignity to that scumbag!

He raised a trembling hand and placed it on Recca's shoulder. "Enough is enough. She doesn't deserve any of this. If you won't intervene as team captain, then I will."

Recca nodded wordlessly and made a step towards the ring, but fell back when three triangular darts sped towards Fujimaru and dug themselves into his back. The latter fell to the floor, howling in pain, as blood gushed out of his wounds.

Fuuko looked vindicated. "Oh dear. I guess I forgot to tell you, didn't I? I can control the claws of wind. They move at my discretion."

Already? Tokiya raised a brow. It seemed like only weeks ago when she had acquired a temporary orb from their assailants in Kagerou's hide-away, and in less than a month she had not only become proficient at wielding it, but also discovered its secret powers.

She now grabbed the microphone from the referee and issued a warning to all men who had less noble intentions, that she would make their lives a living hell.

"Impressive, isn't she?" Recca commented from beside him.

Tokiya tore his eyes away from her.

"I saw the way you looked at her." Recca continued. "It's different. While we are surrounded by men who are fantasizing and objectifying her, it's like you just saw her true worth."

"Don't pretend to know what I'm thinking." Mikagami snapped, annoyed that the sea monkey could read him.

Recca regarded him seriously. "Mikagami, if something ever happens to me in this tournament, you take care of everyone – including Fuuko."

"And why should she be exempted?" He demanded.

Recca cracked a smile. "That's the second time I heard you defend her today."

"Hmph." He was at a loss for words. They both turned towards Fuuko, who was approaching them.

"Good job, Fuuko!" Recca congratulated her.

"Thanks! It was nothing." Fuuko replied, before she collapsed from exhaustion. Domon caught her and immediately started fretting over her.

It had been a long day, and Mikagami was finally ready to hit the sack. It had started with Yanagi being entered as wager followed by the Hokage team's first match against Team Ku. Prior to entering the Urabotou Satsujin, Tokiya already had doubts as to how they would fare as a team, or if they could even make it through the first round. They had different skill sets and personalities, and every time they were in a room together, it was noisy and chaotic. But he had no choice. He had to be on a team in order to enter the competition, and this was the most convenient and only option for him. For the sake of finding his sister's murderers whom he suspected could be working for Kurei, he would endure this disadvantage. On the bright side, from what he had observed, everyone seemed to be compatible with their madogous and they all had a common goal – to win the tournament and prevent Kurei from wreaking more havoc. Make this tournament his last.

At the end of the day, after their first win as a team, Tokiya decided his teammates were not so bad after all. Sure, they all had their squabbles, but in the arena, it's like their maturity levels suddenly peaked. They delivered, and they got the job done in clever, skillful, resourceful, and strategic ways. Tokiya would never verbally admit it, but they had earned his respect.

After a short rest in their newly upgraded luxury suites as a reward for their victory, Tokiya and Kagerou went back to get an estimation of their next opponents, the Uruha Illusion. Team Ku was a mighty team; however, their next opponents were Uruha; therefore, their reputation alone struck fear in their enemies. Their leader, an old man named Genjuro, not only thoroughly directed the members, but seemed to be the source of their powers. If Tokiya would defeat him, the leader of the pack, the others would scatter and either weaken extremely or lose all of their powers altogether. And if Genjuro was behind his sister's death, it would be icing on the cake.

Someone was knocking, so he walked away from the magnificent view through full length windows and opened the door.

"Kirisawa."

She was the last person he expected to see, but he managed to keep his tone flat. She was clad in white pajamas and a loose pink shirt with a giant bear in front of it. He momentarily had a vision of her long, creamy legs but quickly shut down the image.

"Mi-chan. You're back. I have to ask you something. Can I come in?" She asked in her typical cheerfulness.

"Go to bed, monkey. It's past midnight."

It's past midnight and she wants to enter my room. The thought triggered warning bells in his head. He was about to close the door in her face when she stuck her foot in and pushed past him. "No way. I played video games all night while waiting for you, so you have to make it worth it."

He folded his arms, annoyed.

"Nice room." She whistled. "Yours has the best view. I have to share mine with Ganko, while Yanagi and Kagerou are next door." She said as if he wanted to know. She plopped down easily on the swivel chair in front of his desk.

At least she didn't sit on his bed, because if she did, he would never, ever be able to unsee it. Fuuko, perched on his bed, one leg crossed over the other and patting the space beside her...

Really? What had gotten into him? Damn hormones.

"What do you want, Kirisawa? I'm giving you five minutes before I kick you out of the room."

She looked him in the eye uncertainly. "I want to ask you a favor."

He smirked, relishing the fact that he knew it cost her pride to ask something from him. "I don't do favors."

"I knew you'd say that. But I have no choice in the matter. You're the one I want for my sparring partner." She said.

If it were in Tokiya's nature to snort, he would have. But all he said was a firm, "No."

He saw the stubborn look in her eyes.

"Look, Kirisawa. In general, I don't lay a finger on women. But when it comes to the arena and even in sparring, I treat everyone equally. We need you in one piece for the UBS, and I will not be responsible for injuring you while training."

"Didn't you see how tough I was this morning? I don't break easily, Mi-chan." She protested.

"That's not the point, monkey. I can't afford any distractions now. I'm on another mission."

She seemed to be considering something. "If you help me, then I promise to return the favor. I'll help you track down the sicko who murdered your sister."

His eyes widened. "How did you know about that?"

She bit her lip, realizing she had blurted something out of desperation. "Don't take it against Kagerou. When you left after one of our dinners, one of the boys, Domon I think, asked what was the deal with you. You know, your attitude and all. And Kagerou explained it to us." She took a deep breath. "Now Mi-chan, I understand extent of your trauma but –"

"Just drop it, Fuuko. I don't want to talk about it." He interrupted.

She held both palms up. "Okay. Got it. What I'm saying, offering, rather… is a deal. Spar with me and I'll help you get the information you need for your mission. Did I mention that I'm actually good at spying?"

Tokiya sighed. If he took her up on her offer, he might get to the bottom of it quicker than if he were working alone. But Kirisawa, of all people, on his side? He wasn't so sure. Then again, he knew he would struggle with spying due to his lack of social skills, whereas Fuuko could easily charm someone into revealing their deepest, darkest secrets.

Just as she's charming you so she can have her way?

At least he's getting something out of it. "Fine. Wake up before sunrise tomorrow for the first session."

She jumped out of her chair and did a kind of victory dance. The cute kind with hands in the air and swaying of hips. "Thanks, fridge boy!"

He ignored the nickname. "I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it to win."

"Still, it means a lot." She flashed him an earnest smile.

He swallowed. Oh, boy. Things were getting bad. Fuuko was really starting to affect him in a way that no one else had in his entire life. He had distanced himself from people all his life, and now he found that he couldn't isolate himself from her, or from anyone in Team Hokage for that matter.

"Why me?" He asked. "Why didn't you ask Recca or Domon?"

"They were my sparring partners in the past. We already know each other's moves. Plus, Domon and I trained all summer so we both need time apart. Let's just say, I was impressed after watching you fight Daikoku, and figured I could learn a lot from you."

"I won't be easy on you." He warned her.

"I expect nothing less. Good night, Mi-chan." She winked at him and blew him a good night's kiss.

And the gesture stayed on his mind as he retired to bed.

Tokiya thought that given all the exhaustion from yesterday's activities, not to mention the fact that she seemed the heavy sleeper type, that she would forget their conversation altogether and sleep in. But as he stepped out of his room, she was already finishing off her coffee and a piece of toast. She had asked if he wanted to have breakfast and he said he usually skipped it and then she replied that it was unhealthy and that they should check out the breakfast buffet later which he completely ignored. He instructed her to leave the fuujin behind for today. Now, both of them had entered the race track. The sun was not yet fully out, but the sky was brightened with streaks of orange and yellow.

"Are we going for a run to warm up?" She asked.

"From what I'd seen in your first match, there's still room for improvement in terms of your speed." Mikagami answered. "Take two laps around the field to warm up, then let's race."

Fuuko grinned, always eager for a challenge. "You won't join the warm up, Mi-chan?"

"I'll observe, Kirisawa." He answered.

She shrugged. "Your call." She replied, before taking off gracefully.

He watched her. Her movements were smooth and well-coordinated, and her long, shapely legs which were not thoroughly hidden by her black nylon shorts distracted him for a moment. She took the curve and he could see purple strands of hair spilling across her face, but she simply tossed her head to the left sharply to get them out of her sight. After a few seconds, he noticed that they fell across her face again but this time, she did not seem to mind.

"Mi-chan." She acknowledged him when she completed the first lap. Her cheeks flushed and her shoulders rose and fell with her breath. "That felt great. Can I have three more laps before we race?"

"Yes. I need to head back to the hotel to get something. I'll be back."

"Water?" She asked.

"That too." He nodded.

Back at the suite, Kagerou was already awake and seated at the kitchen table, scribbling something on a piece of paper. She said she was making a list of all the madogous from yesterday. He walked to his room, opened his travel bag, retrieved the object he needed, and grabbed two bottles of mineral water from the kitchen counter on his way out.

Fuuko reached for the bottle of water, uncapped it and drank from it steadily.

And Tokiya never really realized that a woman could look so fetching while drinking his element.

Her eyes were closed, her wet, luscious (Luscious?! Did he just think that?) lips closed over the opening of the bottle, one hand raising it at a diagonal position above her mouth, while another hand was on her hip. The pose highlighted her curves. While enjoying the view, he noticed sweat travelling down her neck and the movement of the water sliding down her throat.

She opened her eyes and he quickly looked away so he would not get caught staring. "Thanks." She put the empty bottle beside his on one seat of the bleachers.

He held out an immaculate, white headband with a silver bead in the middle to her. "Wear this. Your hair keeps getting in the way."

Her jaw dropped open. "Where'd you get this, Mi-chan? Don't tell me it's from your personal collection."

"Hardy-har-har, Kirisawa." He replied.

"Oh, wait. It's from one of your fangirls, isn't it? Tried to pull some kind of kinky move?"

"No. Doesn't matter. Just say thank you, you ungrateful monkey." He berated her.

"Thanks, Mi-chan." She said sweetly. She put it on and smoothed her hair over it. "How do I look?"

His heart skipped a beat. He had seen Mifuyu wear it a couple of times and she looked elegant and neat. But on Fuuko, it was something else. Something completely unexpected.

Gorgeous. It brought out both the feminine and the fighter in her.

"You should wear it everyday." He answered.

She grinned. "I think I will. I really like it."

***end of flashback***

"This was my favorite accessory back in those days." Fuuko said as she ran her thumb across the bead of the headband. "So if belonged to you Mifuyu, why did you bring it with you to the UBS? Don't you think that's a little weird?"

"As you now know, Kirisawa, I have my quirks and one of them was that I was awfully morbid in the past." He averted his eyes.

"Awful? How awful was it?" She threw an arm around his shoulder. "Go on. It's all in the past and I swear I won't break up with you."

"Well," He started. "I kept the headband in a pouch along with some of my favorite things. The pouch had a note that said in the event that I would… perish, the pouch had to be buried with me."

He could feel her shudder against his skin, but she kept her arm around his shoulder. "That is cringey, Mi-chan. But I've seen worse from our opponents. What was that wolf thing that Kaoru fought from Uruha Illusion? I missed the actual fight but I watched it the next day on video. Anyway, the thing that ate all of its opponents after defeating them? What was it called again?"

"Shiju. It was a chimera." Tokiya replied.

"Right. Shiju." She laid her head on his shoulder, then changed the subject. "You know what, Mi-chan? I miss you as my sparring partner."

To be continued…

Author's Notes:

Hey guys. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Listen, I'm gearing up for work, so updates may be irregular, but I fully intend to finish this story. Take care, everyone!