Finally reached double digits (technically)
Chapter 10 is here y'll!
Hope you enjoy!
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Act 10: Remembrance
Things had finally settled down between the two groups. After the little… argument, that took place, one decision was taken.
Takagi Souichiro had given permission to the group of highschool students to keep their guns, and the guards that had wanted to take them away from them had no choice other than to obey.
But, despite the fact that the waters had finally calmed, another matter had risen up.
Rentaro watched silently from the sidelines at the moment.
"Why should I do something like that?!" the ever so full of personality, voice of Saya, echoed around. She was currently talking to her father.
"If you speak with them, my daughter, I will know you are not a fool" Souichiro responded right after, his tone filled with authority as usual.
Saya looked taken aback by his words.
"Saya, your mother is asking you as well" Yuriko joined in, who was standing close to them. "Those people would be too careful about what they say if your father or I were to go…"
"Trusting highschool students was the answer though?" Ren thought.
Right now, Souichiro was giving his daughter the… complex task, of talking to the group of civilians that were taking shelter in the estate right now, and pretty much make them open their eyes and warn them about the danger that the undead represented.
Even Souichiro himself knew that his previous demonstration, of beheading one in front of them followed by his raw speech, might have not been enough.
But as he had been saying for a while know, adults had their little pride going on… Saya's eloquence was not the problem, but the narrow-mind some people could have. Would they actually listen to younglings like them? Well, better try than not to.
"I-I'll go with her!" Kohta announced, who was currently holding the sniper.
"I'll go too!" Takashi joined in, while now carrying the shotgun and resting it on one of his shoulders.
"Me too!" Rei also joined in, while carrying the Springfield.
"I will go too" Hideo announced.
"Count me in!" Shizuka chipped.
Ren smiled at them. Seemed like everyone was united once again.
And the addition of Shizuka and Hideo, proper adults, to the mix, might make things go more smoothly.
"I'll accompany you as well" Saeko announced while smiling slightly. Seems like her mood had also improved.
"No" Souichiro said, surprisingly. "I would like to speak with you for a time, daughter of Busujima-sensei".
Saeko seemed taken aback a little by this. "I will speak with you if there's anything you want to say, Don" though she still responded politely.
"I also wish to speak with you, Sakata Rentaro" Souichiro added, now looking at him.
Ren raised an eyebrow at this, but still bowed his head politely. "It's no problem, sir".
"I'll go with Saya-chan too!" Alice said cheerfully, raising one hand, while the other carried little Zeke.
"Alice-chan" Yuriko called her name while smiling gently at her. "Maybe you should come with auntie instead, I have a present for Zeke-chan".
"A present?!"
Yuriko nodded.
"Okay!" she exclaimed. "Yay, Zeke!"
The little pup simply barked happily, infected by the little girl's excitement.
Saya still seemed to be giving the whole matter second thoughts, but nonetheless, after sighing, she seemed to make up her mind finally, and started walking away, towards the direction in where the civilians were staying, followed by the rest of the group.
Who still were carrying their guns.
"Guys" Ren called them out, making everyone stop in their tracks. "I'm confident that you will choose your words correctly but… don't you think you should leave the guns behind?"
They all took a moment to stare at the guns they were currently carrying, trying to find the meaning behind Rentaro's comment.
"It's true" Saya agreed. "They might give the wrong impression; we just want to talk after all".
The group started muttering to one another, also agreeing.
"We can leave them on the garage where the Humvee's at" Kohta suggested.
Finally, with all agreeing on that, the group once again took off walking.
Alice-chan as well, holding Yuriko's hand, walked away.
Ren clicked his tongue twice, gathering Gut's attention, and after a quick signal to him with his thumb, the dog immediately got the message and started walking behind Saya's group.
As he watched them walk away, Ren diverted his gaze to meet the intense stare of Souichiro once again, who looked at him in silence. Without saying a word, the man turned around and started walking towards the mansion's insides.
Ren and Saeko exchanged looks before following the man.
For a couple minutes, they followed the Don closely behind, in silence. Although Ren was still curious about why Souichiro required his presence. He immediately figured that he probably wanted to talk to Saeko, most likely due to his connection with her father; he was his student after all. No idea about him though.
"Yuriko has also told me a lot about you through the years… so had Takeo…"
The previous words of the man came to mind.
But he could only simply continue following in silence.
He would find out soon anyway.
The gentle sound of the rain filled the atmosphere.
He hadn't even realized when it has started pouring.
Although right now, his mind was focused on the scene unraveling in front of him.
He was currently sitting next to Saeko, the traditional 'Seiza' way, with Souichiro doing the same, although cross legged, right in front of them.
Rentaro watched carefully as Saeko held the long katana that the Don had just handed to her, with both hands, as carefully as ever. An although her expression was serious, she still seemed a tad confused by the whole situation.
Ren just remained silent in place. While he wasn't exactly the most versed about the matter, he possessed a fair share of knowledge about katanas and such… his sword-nut, samurai loving phase was no joke after all. And in his opinion, the katana was nothing short of beautiful, at least from the outside, with a deep dark red tone on its scabbard and hilt, with golden details. Even the most ignorant could tell that it was a high quality one.
"I've heard tell that the daughter of Busujima-sensei rivals even Chiba Sanako herself" Souichiro said, while also watching her every movement carefully. "If that is the case… with an example to strive for, if you are not too shameful to follow the way of the sword… experience its purity firsthand!"
Saeko's face abandoned any drop of confusion of doubt that it had left, her expression turning serious and her eyes full of determination, as she slowly proceeded to unsheathe the blade.
"This is…" she muttered as she unsheathed the blade fully before holding it in a vertical way, in front of her, carefully inspecting it. "Truly an unusual blade".
"So you can see it" the man muttered, his eyes narrowing with interest.
"The slightly curved surface of the hamon indicates that this is a Kissaki Moroha Kogarasu Zukuri" she said with expertise before sheathing the blade once again, resting it in her lap. "A true companion of the rifle… it looks like a Murata-To".
Souichiro smiled at this while bringing one hand to his chin, impressed. "Hmm, impressive, you are correct"
Rentaro on the other hand just kept silent, although slightly in awe at how versed Saeko was when it came to the way of the sword. He might have known a thing or two about the matter, but instantly recognizing a blade's origin, grade and rarity with just one glance was truly another level.
"It is one of the blades that was made in the armory by General Murata during the Meiji Era" Souichiro commented. "I do not believe the blade has a single blemish".
"It was an honor to have seen it" Saeko said while gently laying the katana on the floor, in front of her. "Thank you for showing me…"
"It is now yours" Souichiro revealed.
Much to the astonishment of Rentaro and Saeko, although both kept their composure.
"… I know this is rude" Saeko began, facing the Don. "But unless there's a reason, I can't accept it".
Souichiro simply crossed his arms at this, with a smirk.
"Busujima-sensei gave me his guidance" he calmly said. "Accept it… with my gratitude".
"If that's the case then I must give it to my father" Saeko replied.
"Ha!" the Don slapped his on leg before throwing his head back, while genuinely laughing out loud before recomposing, although while still carrying a genuine smile. "Mmm! Just like a member of the Busujima Family, you say nothing but what you think".
"I'm sorry…" Saeko muttered, although with a smile herself now.
Even Ren found himself trying not to smile at how light the mood had gotten out of nowhere.
"I still think there's better options than me" Saeko commented.
"Such as?" the man asked while raising an eyebrow.
"Ren-... Sakata Rentaro here, I believe is more worthy of its possession" she said, with a smile, while elegantly gesturing with a hand at Ren's direction.
Now it was Ren's turn to be slightly taken aback.
Souichiro's eyes finally landed on Rentaro after all this time, who despite his surprise, kept a neutral face.
"Ren's the most reliable of us all" Saeko continued. "He's like our-"
"There will be no need for that" the Don said, before reaching beside him, grabbing another katana that had been right next to him the whole time. "There's a reason why I required his presence here as well…"
The man then slowly extended the katana towards Ren direction, who looked at the sheathed blade for a short moment, before looking back at Souichiro, who nodded at him. Ren then finally took a deep breath, before taking the katana with both hands and then slowly but carefully inspecting it. Seconds later he realized, that he might have seen this katana before…
"I've also have heard a lot from you through the years, Sakata-kun" the man said, with a slight smirk. "Years ago, more than often mentioned in the same breath as the daughter of Busujima-sensei herself… a unique talent, and a gifted individual in the way of the sword. I was looking forwards to have an exchange of words with you for a while, now that you're not a child anymore".
Ren noticed the truth behind his words. While he had previously met the Don before, it was only while as a kid that was still slightly intimidated by the man's presence. Now, as an 18-year-old, they could stand face to face and talk like men.
"Yuriko has always adored you as her own nephew and often spoke your name; even my daughter herself, sometimes commented about you" the man continued. "But you being the disciple of Masaki Takeo is what truly picked my interest… and it seems like you were without a doubt his finest one".
It should had come as no surprise that his sensei commented about him… but it was still a surprise to him, nonetheless.
"Masaki Takeo was one of the few people that I truly could call a dear friend" the Don continued. "Our years of comradery while under the tutelage of Busujima-sensei, are worthy to look back with pride. A truly capable individual he was. I always favored the idea of him becoming my right hand man, but we had different visions as you can tell, that man truly was solely focused on the way of the sword and nothing else. Once we parted ways, I found out time later that he had opened his own dojo… to think his finest disciple would be the boy that used to play around this very own estate with my daughter, when little, was truly a surprise".
A mixture of emotions went through Rentaro's eyes, from nostalgia, to pride, and even slight sadness. "Thanks for the recognition sir, although... I'm not worth it".
"You probably know this yourself, about the personality and temple that man possessed" Souichiro commented, and Ren immediately knew what he was talking about. "The man wasn't keen of praising others and such, but on our scarce reunions we had, after separating ways, when he talked about you, I could tell in his eyes and tone, that it was with pride… and that said a lot to me".
Rentaro could only listen while silence at the words of the man in front of him, while dozens of memories flashed through his head, specifically, the last time he saw his sensei… mainly, the disappointment in his eyes as he looked at him
Ren lowered his gaze to eye the katana in his hands once again.
As beautiful as the one handed to Saeko, to say the least. Almost full pitch black, from the scabbard to the hilt, only with slight white details and patterns here and there.
"Take a look" Souichiro muttered.
At that moment Rentaro knew exactly where he had seen this katana before…
This katana used to belong to his sensei, before his death.
Rentaro slowly unsheathed the sword to reveal its blade, and couldn't help to experience slight shivers once he saw the edge. Once fully unsheathed, he took a long look at it from different angles, and while he wasn't as versed as Saeko in the matter, he knew what he had in hands.
"It's a Muramasa" he muttered.
"Indeed" Souichiro replied with a smirk. "Do you know their history?"
"They were favored by the samurai for their superb quality, especially those who supported Tokugawa Leyasu" Ren started commenting. "It was said that they could possibly cut through armor to the bone… their originator, Muramasa Sengo was thought to be a wild and unpredictable individual, believed to be intertwined with mystical ideas. At some point, these blades were started being considered demon blades, that turned their users into ruthless creatures…"
"Impressive" Souichiro commented. "A fitting sword for that man, hmm?"
Rentaro found himself smirking at his comment. "Indeed".
"It's yours know".
He was seeing that coming, but still…
"I have no idea why you chose to walk a different path from the one of the sword, despite your talent and accomplishments, you must have your own reasons" Souichiro spoke frankly. "Takeo trusted that katana to me while on his final days, and I have no doubt about it, no matter what happened in the past, he would have wanted you to inherit it".
Ren's eyes were still full of doubt once he sheathed the katana again.
"As I said, you must have your own reasons and personal conflicts…" Souichiro continued, after noticing his demeanor. "But Takeo always spoke highly of you, even on his final days… and earlier on, as I looked into your eyes while you were defending your friend, that's all I needed to know, to confirm that everything I've heard about you is true".
"Even on his final days…" those words echoed in Ren's mind numerous times.
"But let me ask you myself..." Souichiro said, gaining Ren's attention once again. "Are you worthy of that katana?"
Ren looked at him in silence for a couple of seconds, before shifting his position, kneeling one knee down, with his other leg up, while planting both his fists on the ground and bowing his head down.
"I'll try to" he responded sincerely.
While he didn't lift his gaze, he did hear Souichiro once again slapping his knee before laughing out loud again.
"That's all I need to hear".
Their conversation was over a short while later, after Souichiro decide to thank them for helping his daughter and such. Both Rentaro and Saeko accepted the swords gifted to them by Souichiro in the end, before leaving the room, although Souichiro had a few more words for them before they left, that were stuck to Rentaro's mind more specifically.
And right now, Ren found himself on a room from the mansion, by himself. It was a room filled with kendo equipment, from the protection needed, to bamboo swords, everything.
He remembered sneaking into this very room as a kid and being all excited about it. It came as no surprise that Souichiro kept a room like that, since the man was a swordsman himself; practicing and keeping yourself in shape was important; and the rest of the guards probably used it to practice as well.
"Takeo expected great things from you... and so do I now" he remembered the Don's words, before leaving the room.
Even Saeko was smiling at him with what seemed to be pride, when Souichiro said those words to him.
He considered himself a pretty good mood and under the lines reader, hardly anything flew over his head, but… was there something he was missing right now?
Also always confident in his capabilities and aptitudes... but man, he felt like he was carrying a huge weight over his shoulders now.
Ren currently with his eyes closed, held the katana that was gifted to him near his waist, while sheathed, with one of his hands on the hilt. And after taking a deep breath he unsheathed the blade, impressively fast and held it in front of him, mimicking as he had just tried to strike something. He then carefully inspected the blade once again; it was a greyish katana, with a beautiful pattern plastered from one end of the steel to the other.
'Zentai No Michi', translated to 'Path of Totality', was the name of the blade.
It had been showcased by his sensei in one of his classes, while he explained the story of katanas, its usage, the art of it, its maintenance, everything. In his dojo there was much more than just learning regular kendo. You were meant to study, walk through the path of the sword and understand it, in its totality.
A fitting name for the blade, he thought.
He had no idea how a blade like this ended up in his sensei's possessions, perhaps it was passed down from generation to generation in his family? What he did know is that, this katana had been one of, if not, his sensei's most valuable possession.
And now it was his.
Ren took a deep breath before shifting the katana in his hand, and slowly but elegantly sheathing it back in its scabbard. He stood in place for a couple of seconds, meditating, before he heard some slight claps near him.
Opening his eyes and turning his head, he met with the gaze of Busujima Saeko herself… whom he had no idea that she was standing there, since… since when?
He was looking cool, right?
I mean, she was clapping and everything.
"Truly magnificent technique" she said with a smile, while stopping her claps. "I mean it".
Ren smiled at her before rubbing his shoulder. "Yeah thanks… although I'm still a bit rusty".
"But the art of the sword is definitely deeply carved within your psyche" she said with a smile. "No doubt that just with a bit more practice you will return to your old ways soon".
Well it did help that he kept himself in the best shape possible for him through the years.
Ren bowed his head slightly. "Truly means a lot coming from Busujima Saeko herself".
Saeko slightly chuckled at this.
"Although I would love to see a demonstration from the master herself" Ren told her, noticing she was also still carrying the katana with her, close to her chest.
Saeko even seemed a little shy about it. "Well, that…"
She then started looking around the room, noticing its equipment.
"You did say that sparring sounds fun right?" she said.
"Hmm?" he raised an eyebrow.
"To think this day would come…" Ren thought, as he readied himself.
He was fully covered in 'kendogu' now, the necessary equipment for protection in kendo, an armor you could say. Face mask, breastplate, plus shoulders, hands, forearms and legs protectors. Everything was on. And he also carried a 'shinai', a bamboo sword in hands. Below the armor, he used a keikogi, the standard tunic used below protection, and for other martial arts such as aikido.
Standing right across him was an… intimidating sight, to say the least.
If you asked him, he would say Souichiro and his mean stare had nothing on the individual in front of him right now.
Saeko had also the full gear on while also carrying a shinai in her hands. Gone was her kimono, as she now used a keikogi below her armor as well.
And she was in the zone, Ren could tell.
Once she put the gear on and grabbed the bamboo sword, even with a facemask on, her hold demeanor and aura around her changed, he noticed.
She was truly all business when it came down to kendo.
She was the national champion and already, a legend of middle-school and high-school competitions. Considered the biggest talent in recent memory, a person that was truly head and shoulders above the rest.
Busujima Saeko.
Rentaro took a deep breath while trying to calm his heart, was it nervousness, or excitement? Maybe a bit of both.
"Ready?" she asked, her tone serious.
"As ever" he replied.
"Fine then…" she muttered as she took a stance, holding the bamboo sword with both hands. Ren did the same right after.
They started circling around the room in silence, trying to read each other's movements to react in time.
Ren could help but smirk behind his mask.
No action had taken place so far, but he was already having the time of his life.
He had to concentrate even further, as much as possible.
After a few seconds they both closed the distance and started trying to tap each other's shinai out of the way looking for an opening. It was tense, but after a few seconds, both distanced themselves.
It was a high level kendo match indeed, just by watching how they moved and how zoned it both were.
Ren distanced himself some more, or at least that's what he intended her to think. Immediately after, he extended the reach of his shinai, looking for a strike to the head.
But he should have known better.
Saeko swiftly struck his shinai out of the way and struck him in the shoulder with a battle cry, which was common in kendo bouts. He could barely react in time to hit her shinai away, but it was too late.
Ren groaned and took a few step backs, although smiling nonetheless… but slightly frustrated.
He continued trying to find openings, but Saeko's defense was perfect, and although he didn't get hit anymore after first one, Saeko had already grazed him several times… and she was probably not even going all out yet.
Truly, experiencing it first hand was different than just by looking. Despite the fact that he was a tad rusty from not practicing, Ren still felt fine and confident in his stance and movement.
But Saeko was a monster, in every area.
Her distance control and footwork were impeccable; and while Rentaro was fast himself, Saeko was just as fast; her precision was surgical, her movements agile and clean. Rentaro also could tell, her physical strength could be deceptive.
Saeko's style was calm, elegant and smooth, but with a hint of aggresiveness at the end; completely the opposite of Ren, who focused on speed and aggression mainly, looking to completely overwhelm his opponents from the get go.
But Saeko had set the pace and was in control from the very beggining.
Facing her was truly a puzzle.
And people used to say he was her equal in men's competition back when they were at middle school? Hard to agree nowadays, her style was a really bad match-up for him.
Rentaro could be considered a physically gifted individual, in great shape and with impressive athletic abilities, even for his age. But for someone that didn't practice kendo properly for 3 years, as talented as he was in it, the chances of keeping up with the national champion and a generational talent such as Saeko, was a near impossible task.
But it just made things more fun.
Rentaro feinted forwards earning a reaction from Saeko, and feinted once again, earning a bigger reaction, making her move her shinai to a certain position, that finally gave him an opening. Ren thrusted his shinai forward, looking to strike Saeko in the breastplate.
But to his surprise, Saeko recovered incredibly fast and struck his shinai out of the way once again, before hitting him on top of the head, with a battle cry once again.
Crap.
He was getting his ass kicked.
Now his competitive spirit was getting the best of him.
"Best defense is the offense I guess" he remembered his sensei's words.
Instead of trying outsmarting and beating Saeko at her own game, he should probably just stay true to himself.
Ren once again feinted, before darting forward towards Saeko, who was slightly caught by surprise and couldn't stop him from closing the distance between them.
With shinai's clashing and face to face, or more like mask to mask now, both struggled to gain the upper hand. But it didn't take long before Rentaro started pushing Saeko back.
He had to admit, Saeko had impressive strength, which made it no wonder that even the males couldn't keep up with her. But when it came to pure brute strength, Rentaro totally had the upper hand.
He could hear the struggle in Saeko's voice, who groaned, trying to push him back. Ren took a step forward, which earned another groan from Saeko, as she pushed forward trying to push him off, just as he had intended. Ren used the momentum of Saeko's movement to push her shinai out of the way, creating an opening.
Rentaro swung his shinai, looking to strike her in the shoulder, but once again, Saeko managed to react in time to stop him. But his assault never stopped. He kept attacking, forcing Saeko to only fully defend.
Groaning, both struggled, one to land a strike, and the other to keep up with the force of the strikes she had to defend herself from. Until Rentaro finally took his chance to land a strike on top of Saeko's head. Saeko knowing she was about to get hit, out of pure instinct and reaction, swung her bokken forward, striking Rentaro right in the center of the mask, hard, inches before he could strike her himself.
The force of the strike, mixed with the momentum of the movements, made Rentaro stumble backward and spin on his feet, ending with his back facing Saeko.
"R-Ren! Sorry, that was-" Saeko began, finally breaking out of her focused demeanor.
But was interrupted by Ren's chuckle.
"You're truly the best Saeko" he muttered in a light tone, amusement in his voice. "The very best".
He then took off his mask, as he turned around before tossing it aside.
"There's no way for me to beat you on a pure kendo bout" Ren said while facing her.
He proceeded to take his breastplate, and the rest of his guards off, only his keikogi remaining. And although he couldn't see her face directly due to her mask, he could tell she was a tad confused.
"Not like we're in an official competition anyway" he thought.
Saeko who was eyeing at him in silence the whole time, after a few seconds, chuckled herself, before she started doing the same, taking her armor off.
After being done, once again she took the traditional kendo stance, with both hands firmly gripping the shinai in front of her.
A beautiful sight, if you asked Ren. Beads of sweat covering her face and neck, slightly panting, while her eyes gleamed with intensity, and her hair on a ponytail.
With his shinai in hands again as well, Rentaro took a few step backs and imitated the motion, similar to sheathing a katana, with his shinai.
This earned a curious glare from Saeko.
"Iaido?" she muttered, slightly taken aback.
Ren smirked at her, but he could tell, her expression confidently told that, 'that wasn't working'.
She could be surprised… that's all what he thought.
Rentaro readied his feet, which consequently, made Saeko ready her stance even more.
And right after taking a deep breath, Rentaro darted forward, changing levels twice, before essentially pulling a 'unsheathing' or 'quick-draw' technique with his shinai. Saeko barely blocked this strike, her expression giving away struggle.
They kept exchanging strikes, both successfully blocking and evading each other's attacks, now faster than before, without the armor. And while Saeko kept moving the traditional common way, Ren was being as unorthodox as ever, which slightly caught Saeko off guard.
The exchanges continued for a couple of more seconds, until in one of those, Saeko successfully struck him on the hands. The hit stung, but he didn't care, he was more frustrated with the fact that the impact had made him drop his shinai, and if there was something that was frustrating and shameful for any kendoka, it was dropping their shinai.
Ren groaned while immediately taking a few sidesteps, looking to pick his shinai back up, and just as he was about to grab it…
The dry sound of Saeko's shinai hitting the floor nearby echoed. Rentaro managed to move his hand out of the way just in time.
He looked at her, who was now sporting a slightly sly smirk on, full of confidence. So that's how she wants to play huh?
Rentaro stood up, returning the smirk, before taking a combat stance, his hands up at the height of his head and legs spread, with his left leg in front, while slightly hopping on both feet.
She was not letting him pick back his shinai? Fine, he could still fight.
The melodious chuckle of Saeko was heard, before she readied her stance again.
One thing was for sure… both were having the most fun they've had in a long while.
Both started circling each other.
An although Ren had taken a kickboxing/muay-thai stance, even while caught up and lost in the current mood, it's not like he was willing to throw a strike at Saeko with his own limbs, while she was unprotected, no matter how excited he was.
Rentaro started feinting with his hips and legs, while Saeko who was holding her shinai lower than before, looked ready for anything. He was looking for an opening to close the distance and get a hold on her, but it was a difficult task.
Without a shinai for himself, the reach advantage was all hers.
He needed to take care of that.
He baited Saeko into taking a step forward, and he used this to take a slight jump backwards, to which she responded by taking a skip forward, and as soon as she did, he skipped forward as well immediately after, closing the distance. An although he could see slight surprise in her eyes for a bit, she managed to react in time, skipping backwards once again and thrusting her shinai forward.
Ren saw this coming and managed to catch the shinai, successfully trapping it between his arm and the side of his torso. He smirked, while Saeko looked not very pleased with the outcome. She was trapped now.
Or maybe not…
Saeko let go of her shinai with one hand and grabbed Rentaro by his tunic, while jumping, using her body to pull him down.
Judo, Ren realized.
Bad news.
But he knew what had to be done. He never once let go off the shinai and used his own experience in said martial art to escape Saeko's grip, rolling around and separating himself from her.
And now Saeko was unarmed, while he had the shinai.
He noticed Saeko glancing towards where the other shinai that he was using and she knocked off earlier was laying. Not that far away, but not close enough for comfort.
Ren without thinking twice, gripped the shinai in possession and thrusted forward, although he didn't put much on the blow, since Saeko was unarmed and unprotected.
Which was probably a mistake.
Saeko changed levels and shifted her body sideways, making him miss badly, then grabbed his wrists and twisted them a certain way while hitting the shinai, essentially making him drop the bamboo sword once again.
"Aikido?"
Of course she knows Aikido.
And after making him drop the shinai, she was looking to drop him on his ass, he could tell, because her movements didn't stop as she shortly after followed by pressing a hand on his jaw, looking to use the momentum to trip him. Ren managed to react on time, moving his feet and pushing her hand out of the way.
Both took some distance.
And both were unarmed.
Which most likely gave him the advantage.
Even so, Ren's eyes scanned the area, looking for the shinai he had just dropped.
Only to be almost caught by surprise by an open palm strike from Saeko, that was directed at his face.
Well shit, she can grapple, she can also strike? It was not only kendo, Busujima Saeko was a close combat virtuoso in every sense.
Despite his surprise, Ren managed to block every strike of Saeko, who was not throwing only open palm strikes.
"Holy-!"
But also kicks, and he had just blocked a high one with his forearm.
Weird, but during this whole thing he was just growing more attracted to her.
He could also tell that she was not throwing every she had on those strikes, she was just using them to create an opening so she could either take him down or get a hold of a shinai again
Ren kept blocking her advances and perfectly reading her moves, at instances trying to swept her feet with his own, but she reacted perfectly to them as well. She was good in hand-to-hand indeed, but considering he had been having both boxing, kickboxing and grappling sparring sessions for a couple of years now, he knew he had the upper hand in this realm. Although not like he could bring himself to throw a strike at her anyway.
But it was fun.
He couldn't help but smirk.
She was smiling too.
Ren proceeded to fake a leg swept, only to then extend his hand towards her, looking to grab her tunic, but Saeko reacted to this, turning around while grabbing his arm.
Judo throw.
She was about to throw him over her shoulder, on his ass.
That could actually be humiliating.
It was surprising how she could handle his weight even as he tried to sandbag her in time, but it was too late, that's what he thought as she successfully lifted his figure off the ground. In big part thanks to her perfect technique.
Ren gritted his teeth. He managed to shift his body while at it, and used his feet to stop the impact of him getting dropped, almost like a cat. This earned a very surprised reaction from Saeko, who looked at him with widened eyes.
Especially knowing she was now open, and within his reach
Rentaro didn't stop, and gripped Saeko's wrist, since both never let go of each other, he then turned his body around and extended one leg forward, sweeping her leg, successfully this time, while with his other free hand grabbed her tunic near the chest area, pulling her down, although with not enough force for her to hit the back of her head with the floor.
He ended up essentially on top of her, with one of his hands pinning her wrist above her head and the other hand gripping her tunic while both of her legs were trapped between his.
He couldn't stop a slightly arrogant, victorious smirk to appear in his features.
While on the other hand, Saeko continued to look at him in slight astonishment, processing what just happened.
Isn't this like… really bad?
Or really good…
At least he thought that.
He had Saeko pinned on the ground, he came to realize… and he was kind of into it… was that weird? If he tried something right now, would she stop him? He wondered. Man, having this types of thoughts all the time around her was really inevitable.
He was outed of his mental dilemma once he saw Saeko genuinely smile at him; and he had to be fool to think that smile had just good sportsmanship behind it.
"It's my loss…" she whispered to him.
A little too dangerously, in his opinion.
Before his brain stopped braining and it was too late, he stood up before extending a hand to Saeko, which she gladly took, as he helped her stand.
They looked at each other for a couple of seconds, Saeko still smiling.
Finally, Ren took a deep breath, before letting go of her hand and taking a few step backs.
"Good match" he told her, while respectfully bowing.
Saeko shortly after did the same. "Indeed".
Bowing in respect and gratitude after a match was the standard before and after kendo bouts. And well, although their bout progressively got wilder, this was a nice finishing touch.
Ren then turned around while cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders.
Keeping his eyes on her wasn't a good idea. Adrenaline mixed with big excitement wasn't the safest mix when around the girl you were deeply attracted to.
He took a couple of deep breaths as he walked outside the room, towards the garden before he sat on the edge of the floor, then simply proceeded to stare at the visible sky.
Well, they definitely had to repeat that, for sure. Because that was a blast, and not only for him, that he was sure of.
After everything that has happened, and his previous desires to go up against her from years ago, to think it would happen in the very same room he used to sneak in as a kid and while in the middle of a… well you know.
Undead World.
He sat in silence for a couple of seconds, before he was joined in by Saeko, who sat right next to him… a little too close. Not that he complained; he also had calmed down now.
"That was a good match" she said, while still smiling slightly. "You're truly impressive, Ren".
Ren chuckled a bit at this. "Yeah right, you were winning 80% of the time lady. If it would had been a proper kendo bout, it would had been a humiliation".
"But I was the one who admitted defeat in the end, while you never gave up. I could also tell that you were holding back your strikes" she replied. "Although you did alter the rules slightly, through it…" she finished, jokingly.
"We said sparring, but we never agreed that it would be solely kendo right?" he fired back, also in a joking manner, although he wasn't wrong. "Plus, you joined in".
"I did. Couldn't really help it" she replied with a smirk. "I must admit that I was having fun and mayhaps got a little caught up in the moment..."
"Glad that I was able to entertain you, at least a little bit, my Lady Saeko" Ren said jokingly, while bowing his head.
Saeko chuckle at his words. "I wouldn't say just a little bit... truly, the years of non-practice are barely noticeable, you really are a magnificent kendoka".
"Well, thank you very much my Lady Saeko" he replied while smiling. "Although, I'd say even if I had kept practicing, you'd still be a bad match-up for me, especially considering that my motto back then used to be 'whoever moves first wins', yet you're a master counter-attacker and always so calm. You had me on checkmate since the beggining".
"Still, the way you adjusted through the match, was truly masterful" she pointed out. "I knew you were good, but experiencing it first hand was truly... thrilling".
Ren gulped a bit, feeling slightly taken aback by her choice of words and her tone. Was it all just in his head or was this woman really always seductive? He was going insane anyway. Not to mention the way she was looking at him now was... interesting, to say the least.
He took a deep breath, looking to continue the conversation, ignoring his chaotics thoughts.
"When it comes to my overall movement, it's hard to make my muscles forget about it" he began. "After all, I practiced kendo nonstop for over 5 years, it will forever be deeply carved in me. And while my moves still need some polishing, besides that, when it comes to the physical aspects, I still feel confident… but the nonphysical aspects are the ones that are tricky to always have present; positioning, distance control, the psychology behind it…"
"I still think you did very well" she continued, in her usual gentle tone. "You're incredibly fast for your size and impressively strong. There's no doubt in me that you could have beaten most of our highschool team after a couple days of warm up and practice, if not all… well- "
Ren noticed she cut herself short, and seemed like she wanted to say something but held herself back. He quickly realized.
"All, besides you?" he told what was in her mine.
She looked at him for a split second before smiling, even looked down shyly.
No need to be that humble really.
"To think we'd finally cross swords after all this time" she muttered. "You truly lived up to the title that was given to you back in middle school".
"I had a… title?" Ren muttered, slightly confused.
Championship titles? Quite a few, that he was still proud of to this day.
But like, a title? He was known as the ace of the kendo club back at middle school and was the captain as well.
Takashi and Rei used to tease him by calling him 'Ace' sometimes, out of practice.
Was that it?
"You don't remember what they called you?" she asked, with her eyebrows raised, she almost seemed surprised.
Rentaro simply tilted his head as an answer.
"…The Noble Fury".
Oh.
That.
Yeah, he remembered hearing that.
How could he not remember? Pretty neat nickname if you ask him.
Rentaro nonetheless smiled, as he looked at Saeko. "The Sword Empress was also cool".
"That-" Saeko reacted at her own title that was given to her by critics and fanatics. She even slightly blushed as she looked away.
"It's ok" she tried calming her shy reaction.
Despite this, she still looked away, and he chose to remain in silent, although slightly amused.
No words were spoken for a long couple of seconds.
"Earlier…" she began. "Was the first time for me hearing about you being Masaki Takeo's disciple".
Ren looked at her. "You know him?" he genuinely asked.
"It'd be weird if I didn't" she replied. "He was my father's disciple years ago, alongside Takagi-dono. My father openly recognizes them both as two of his best students… which, says a lot".
"No doubt" he agreed.
There was no better sensei or instructor when it came to the art of the sword, more recognized and respected, than Saeko's father, not only in Japan, but around the world. His disciples through the years had been numerous… to be among the most well remembered by him, was a truly respectable accomplishment.
"My father had specifically commented about him quite a few times" she continued. "About how he was a man solely focused on it, that lived for the way of the sword only. To hear that you were his disciple, was truly surprising news, though thinking it through, it should come as no surprise considering your skills".
Ren smiled, feeling quite prideful.
"Yeah, he was all that and much more…" he muttered, his thoughts filling with nostalgia. "Probably the best sensei I could have ever asked for, with all due respect to your father of course".
Saeko kept her silence, while continuing to look at him.
"I remember the first time I stepped in his dojo" he continued. "I was around 9 I believe. It was the very first and only time I got deeply intimidated by an adult… not even when I met face to face with the Don a couple of times as a kid back then I ever felt that. I still remember how my knees were shaking. While his stare was harsh, he was polite and educated, but just something about him, the way he carried himself, the intensity in his gaze or his voice, his presence, just shook me up. But despite my nerves, weirdly enough I never felt like leaving or running off… I just had one thing in mind. I wanted to be like that man…"
He couldn't help but smile some more at his past memories and even Saeko found herself smiling a bit.
"Maybe it was the fact that I grew up without a father and was mostly surrounded by women while growing up, which wasn't bad at all, but looking back at it, I saw him as a father figure, and the young me was glad I had found a male individual to look up to" he commented, sincerely. "Although he was far from loving; a strict as you could imagine individual he was, which is exactly why his dojo was notorious, but not very successful. He wasn't there to teach kids just how to swing a bamboo sword around, but the art itself, its history, what it represented, and everything surrounding it. You could say he was essentially teaching us bushido".
Ren looked at his hands before continuing it, remembering the calluses he used to sport proudly.
"Not only kendo, but also any other variant regarding the way of the sword... kenjutsu, iaijutsu, tankendo, aikido, you name it" he revealed. "He taught us about our culture in depth and even encouraged us to include such techniques and the mentality that came with it, in our daily life, the way we ate, like using our chopsticks correctly or teaching us how to fillet a fish correctly. Even other traditional arts like tea ceremony, calligraphy and even playing shamisen were all part of his teachings. Of course not everyone could keep up with his lessons, or understand them… but I personally, was having fun, and every single new lesson picked my interest. In the end, I ended up being his longest lasting student, since everyone eventually either lost interest or joined the kendo clubs at their school eventually. But I didn't think the same, and I ended up joining the kendo team back in middle school, but never stopped attending his lessons…"
"Why did you stop?" Saeko asked, curiously, and it was a fair question, even he considered.
But he couldn't help to divert his gaze away, the memories of the certain incident that would end up being the main reason he distanced from his passion, flooding his mind once again.
And as much as he trusted her, he would die out of shame if he told her, especially because of what she was and represented, at least to him.
"Around that time, the death of my mother shook me to the core…" he replied. "Also, Takeo-sensei's health was deteriorating quickly at the time… we both understood our situation, and decided to part ways. Shortly after I joined highschool, he left the city to you could say, spent his remaining time with his only relative left, his mother… I on the other hand, couldn't bring myself to join Fujimi's kendo club, at the time, I was lacking motivation and didn't have the same drive I used to…"
He wasn't really lying, but also decided to omit some bits.
"…I understand" Saeko said. "Sorry for asking, must not be the most pleasant memories".
"No worries" he replied instantly. "Although, in the end, I decided to join again… sadly I was interrupted by their arrival, it happens I guess?" he joked.
Saeko chuckled at this slightly.
Though, his previous comment left something very clearly.
Both of them were aware of it.
As well as the rest of their group.
Things haven't been just interrupted… in just this couple of days, things had changed, forever and they would never be the same.
Even if they were optimistic, and things healed through time, they still would never be the same… ever again.
The world as they knew it, was gone, and there was nothing they could do about it, except survive and try their best to continue their lives.
They sat in silence for a few seconds, before Saeko chuckled a bit.
"Now knowing all of this, it explains a lot of things" she commented.
Ren simply raised an eyebrow at her way, not knowing exactly what she meant.
"It doesn't only explain your skills in kendo, but also that very nice matcha tea you made back when we were at your place" she said, half-jokingly.
He smiled at her comment, amused. Ren had always been pretty proud of his tea.
"Also explains your beautiful handwriting".
He raised an eyebrow at her way again; did she… spy on his notebooks or something?
"You also had beautiful handwriting; teachers used to praise it often" Ren replied.
"They also used to praise yours, remember?" Saeko fired back. "I remember the calligraphy club tried to recruit you".
Oh, right.
Ren couldn't help but smile a bit.
Looking back at it, all the stuff and different arts he learned, he never stopped practicing them and always kept them the closest he could to him, applying them in his everyday life, they had essentially forged him into the individual he was today. Tea ceremony, calligraphy, even his hobby of playing guitar a bit could be considered a replacement for his shamisen practice. And not only that, his cooking or eating habits, like making sure to never make a mess while at it or making sure to give proper maintenance to his cooking knives.
Everything.
"Fun days" Ren muttered.
"Indeed" she replied, also in the same tone.
That were never coming back.
Both sat in silence for a couple of more seconds.
"It's a shame you couldn't join the kendo club" she muttered. "Things would have definitely been more interesting with you around".
Ren tilted his head giving it some thought, although with a smirk on his features.
"But that didn't stop you eh? National Champ" he told her, in a slightly teasing tone. "The legend of the amazing Busujima Saeko is already interesting enough by itself".
Saeko diverted her gaze, while smiling slightly.
"I'm not-"
"You are amazing" Ren cut her off before she could say anything; she was way too humble sometimes, he wondered why. "And when I look at you… I don't only see the kendo prodigy, daughter of Busujima, several years in a row regional and national champ… but a gentle and caring girl, that's fun to be around with".
Saeko eyes slightly widened as her cheeks got tainted in pink a bit.
He put his hand on top of the hand she had resting on the space that separated them. But his eyes never left hers, who was also directly looking at him.
"Ren…" she whispered.
It didn't take long for him to start closing the distance between their faces, and as he noticed her slightly closing while making her own shy effort to also close the distance, it just made him even more bold.
But before they could fully close the distance, while they were just centimeters away, he saw Saeko's eyes change. Like if something unpleasant had just flashed through her mind.
He was stopped dry once he felt her placing her free hand on his chest as well, essentially freezing his advance.
Ouch.
That had slightly hurt.
But it's not like he could force her to anything… even though both of their feelings were as clear as ever at this point.
So he just looked at her, his face neutral.
"I'm not as amazing as you think Ren, really…" she whispered once again, while looking down.
"You are…" he replied. "You've always been-"
"Have I?" she replied almost instantly, cutting him off. "Do you really think?"
This was not an actual question he should respond to, Ren could tell.
"We've really only, truly known each other for just a few days…" Saeko pointed out, which was nothing but true. "Would you really say the same if you actually get to know me? …the real me?"
Ren looked at her dead in the eyes, and he noticed…
Pure desperation and need for an answer from him right now, in her eyes.
His mouth slightly opened a few times, but words never came out.
He wanted to give her an answer.
But he couldn't.
He was stopped by his own thoughts.
The real him… what would Saeko thing of him if he knew what was going on inside his head all the time?
He couldn't even bring himself to be sincere and admit what really made him force himself to step away from kendo.
What would she think if she found out that he was just some sadist that was growing accustomed way too fast to this despicable new world?
That, his so called twisted sense of justice was just him looking for opportunities to exert force without repercusions, masked as good actions?
That all the time he had been afraid of losing himself, drunk in power and opportunities now, but never checked himself and just continued going, using the desire of wanting to protect his friends as the biggest excuse to simply continue his ways without batting an eye.
That despite the fact that he has felt dumb and numb for it at times, he just shrugged it off and continued on the same path.
And he had forced his own self to accept himself, long ago.
But, would others accept him?
Would she accept him?
With shame in his mind, Rentaro could only continue to look at her in silence.
Saeko's expression finally calmed down. But perhaps even worse than before, at least from Ren's perspective, her gaze was sad now and so was the weak smile that appeared on her features.
She then stood up, going inside the room again.
"I don't blame you for not answering" she muttered, loud enough so he could hear; her tone lacking any type of positive energy. "Perhaps, it was just selfish from my part… I'm sorry".
She didn't need to be sorry.
He should be sorry.
He wanted to tell her just that, but he couldn't.
He simply sat at the same spot, without not being able to bring himself to look back at her.
The sound of the sliding door opening and closing behind him after a few seconds, told him that she had left.
Ren's eyes twitched a little before he gritted his teeth. He couldn't stop himself from smacking his fist on his thigh, frustrated.
He was truly a selfish person.
Even in her clear time of need, when she clearly was looking for just an honest answer, in the end, all he could think of, was about himself.
And all he felt was shame.
Not even in front of the girl he loved, it allowed him to man up.
And the worst part? Never once, even when this whole thing began, he ever felt guilt.
Just shame.
Ren stood up, entering the room once again, and after returning everything they had borrowed, like the armor and shinais back into their own spots, he changed his clothes back to what he was wearing.
Walking back to grab his katana, that he had left in one corner of the room alongside Saeko's, who had taken hers before leaving, he unsheathed it slightly gazing at the beautiful edge and its shine.
He then couldn't help to stop himself from smirking and chuckling slightly at his own self, in a sarcastic, derogatory manner.
Even right now he couldn't stop his mind from thinking about imagining himself cutting through them, especially now that he needed to vent some frustrations out.
He was just some brute in the end.
But now with his nerves now calmed… he wondered what Saeko meant, what was that mental block of hers about? Everybody kept secrets and hid stuff, that he knew… but sometimes people couldn't really be free as long as they did that.
Acceptance was needed.
Ren now made it his personal mission to find it out eventually. He would hear what she has to say and give her a proper answer.
Then they needed to continue their path.
Without looking back.
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Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!
I used some japanese terms without directly translating them here's their meaning, just in case, as a quick reminder:
Bushidō: the code of conduct of the samurai, or bushi (warrior), class of premodern Japan.
Kenjutsu: (methods, techniques, and the art of the Japanese sword).This is opposed to kendo, which means "the way of the sword" and uses a bamboo sword and protective armor.
Iaido: (the way of mental presence and immediate reaction) Japanese Martial Art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks.
Tankendo: (Way of the Short Sword). It is a Martial Art allied to Kendo that is based on traditional Japanese kodachi (short sword) techniques.
Kendogu: training armour used primarily in the Japanese martial art of kendo.
Shinai: Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in kendo.
Keikogi: traditional uniform worn for training in Japanese martial arts and their derivatives.
Seiza: an upright kneeling position which is traditionally used in Japan in meditation and as part of the preparation in martial arts.
Shamisen: a 3-stringed Japanese musical instrument resembling a banjo.
It was a blast to write from a personal standpoint.
Hope the revelations about Rentaro's past, his sensei, and his training was of your liking; plus his inner monologues, persona struggles and stuff, also his interaction with Souichiro, and of course my boy getting his own katana as well!
Also, as expected, not everything could be smooth and perfect between Rentaro and Saeko all the time, tensions have risen up!
Btw, this chapter was under 10k words! Yay! Yay? The streak is over I guess? Can't reach 10k all the time
Once again hope you guys are enjoying the story so far.
Reviews are well welcomed!
Have a nice day!