Chapter 3
FIRST MATCH
Surprise! Yes, dear reader, you are not dreaming. I FINALLY updated.
I had this dream about Tokiya and Fuuko a week ago, and since then I have
a. written a one-shot to give in to Denise's request to write an intimacy fic. (Title: The Wedding Night)
b. re-written Chapter 1 of "Their Moments" and edited Chapters 5 and 6 just to improve the story.
c. written another one-shot as a response to xabie's "Photo Album" challenge that was issued almost twenty years ago, which was also requested by some of my readers. (Title: Lifetime)
And now, here I am continuing this fic, which a handful of reviewers have also asked for. I really wished that I had been inflicted with this generosity and writing craze a long time ago, as most readers have perhaps abandoned the fandom by now, but I believe there is a time and reason why things happen. And it's because I had to grow and experience stuff first so I can pull of these stories I'm writing now. And I am so grateful for the amount of free time I am enjoying now.
Anyway, happy reading! Don't worry, I will not make you wait a year for the next chapter. Only a couple of days.
Enjoy!
"And why did you keep the coin after all these years?" He asked, unable to quell his curiosity.
Fuuko gave him a nostalgic smile. "It became a metaphor for me. You made it clear then, I was nothing. Even a yen had more worth."
"Fuuko." A look of pain flickered in his cerulean eyes.
"I kept it because I swore that when I had won all of my battles, I'd send it back to you, along with one of my medals. Then you'd eat your words." She explained in a surprisingly even voice. Gone were the characteristic outbursts and threats of the sixteen-year-old temperamental girl he knew in her story.
He was relieved. She had always been clever and thoughtful in her plans, Tokiya thought as he felt pride swelling in his chest. Or at least in her motives, because
"You didn't." Tokiya recalled.
"Right." Fuuko nodded. "Because you suddenly changed."
Mikagami felt his signature smirk on his lips. "Respect was inevitable after the first round." He leaned his back against the balcony raining and let his elbows rest lazily on its surface. All of a sudden, the sleepless night when he dreamt of her after her battle with Fujimaru seized his thoughts. He cleared his throat to block his impure thoughts. "I believe you have something that belongs to my sister."
Fuuko gasped. "It was your sister's?"
Tokiya concealed a smile, but it did not disappear from his eyes.
"Why didn't you say so?" She demanded.
"I don't reveal my secrets." He said, slyly.
"You just did." Fuuko replied. "You have just dropped a very big bomb, Mi-chan."
"That's what happens when you trust someone." He planted a quick kiss on her lips. She was still too stunned to react to his stolen kiss, he thought with satisfaction. With another smirk, he gently took the bag from her, and searched for something in particular. "Found it."
He held it up, reverently.
It was as if the object had somehow unlocked more memories, and they stared at each other as the flashbacks began.
"No. I won't allow it. It's not worth the risk." Recca's voice had an edge of finality. A look of panic was frozen on his face.
"Recca-kun, I believe in all of you. You won't fail." Yanagi protested.
Fuuko folded her arms. "Yanagi-chan. Shouldn't we at least discuss this?"
"I won't allow it either." Tokiya frowned. Once again, Yanagi was in possible peril and he couldn't understand why for the life of him, he couldn't just stand back and watch it happen.
"This is my decision, and it is for the Hokage's best interest." Yanagi said with conviction.
A snort escaped from Domon.
"Excuse me?" Yanagi raised a brow at him.
Domon cowered back in embarrassment, a large sweat drop rolling down his forehead. "Sorry Yanagi, but it doesn't make sense. How could endangering your life be good for any of us?"
"Damn right. You're my hime and I will die first before I let Kouran Mori lay a finger on you." Recca spat out.
"Please, Recca. I won't waste all of your efforts." Yanagi pleaded. "You've trained so hard. It's the only way we can enter the competition."
Recca shook his head. "No. I am not handing you over to that creep on a silver platter." The dark edge in his voice was unsettling.
"That's exactly why I know you'll win all of your battles." Yanagi clasped her hands together and raised them to her chest in a pleading motion. "You won't let me fall into his hands."
"That's true, but I still don't approve." Fuuko said. She had gotten to know Yanagi more over the course of three months, and in that short span of time, the soft spoken healer had won her over with her grace, sincerity, and kindness.
"Fuuko, you don't understand." Yanagi insisted. "Let me put it this way. You would all lay down your lives for me. So why should it be any different for me?"
The fighters were immediately silenced.
"There is a reason why we're here. We have questions that will only be answered if we push through. If we are brave enough."
"It isn't a question of bravery." Recca objected.
"Is it not, Recca?" Yanagi pressed on. "The only way we can stop the evil that is Kurei is if all of you will defeat him and his minions in this tournament. Come on! This is our chance to do something important. We could save plenty of lives."
The air was pregnant with silence, and a tinge of concession.
"Am I the only one brave enough to try?" Yanagi, in a rare display of spirit, pressed on with passion. "We're supposed to be warriors."
Domon's jaw was set. "I ran out of arguments. So I concede to your wishes, Yanagi."
Fuuko looked like Yanagi had also won her over. "Me too. I won't let you down, Yanagi-chan. I will fight all of my battles, no matter what it costs." Fuuko placed a hand on her chest and bowed in Yanagi's direction. "And yes, we have to put an end to Kurei's evil ploys once and for all. That's what we came all this way for and we are not turning back."
As much as Tokiya was protective of Yanagi, he had waited the last six years of his life for this moment, and this could be his only chance to avenge his sister. "If this is your wish, Yanagi, I will submit to it." He nodded at her. "You falling into Kouran Mori's hands will not happen on my watch."
They all turned to look at Recca.
"What does it matter? I'm already outnumbered." Recca shook his head. He looked determinedly at Yanagi. "As your ninja, I have pledged to keep you safe always. And I realize…" He paused. "I can still do that and save the world."
"Recca-kun!" Relieved and grateful, Yanagi threw her arms around his neck, which made him blush wildly. "Arigato!"
They felt several pairs of eyes on them.
"Is there something you two want to tell us?" Fuuko teased.
Recca and Yanagi jumped apart.
"No, nothing. Uh…" Yanagi looked at the ground. "Never mind."
Inwardly, Tokiya felt a sliver of displeasure. What is happening? He tried to dismiss it, but it still played on his mind even as he stepped into the arena for the first match.
"How can Mikagami be so fast?" Domon exclaimed, unused to the agility that Mikagami was showing. Tokiya swiftly evaded several thrusts from Daikoku's steel rod.
"Who's the weak one now?" Mikagami taunted his opponent, as he ducked out of Daikoku's reach.
"How dare you!" In a fit of rage, Daikoku struck the ground, sending fragments of rocks flying in Tokiya's direction. A stone hit Tokiya in the eye, and Daikoku took full advantage of the situation, directing a fatal blow with his rod that sent Tokiya spiraling backwards, hitting the edge of the arena, and tumbling back further towards a dark corner.
"Fighter Mikagami is down!" the black haired announcer declared into her microphone.
Recca felt a foreboding sense of dread and uncertainty. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. All of these men were older, and had more skill and experience against a ragtag team of high school ninja wanna-be's. "Mikagami!" He called out to his teammate.
"Mikagami! Are you alright?" Fuuko asked anxiously.
"Are you dead?" Domon piped in.
Tokiya stood up gracefully. "Don't kill me off yet." Blood was dripping from the leg of one of his jeans. It did not seem to faze him, as he raced towards the arena and jumped back into the ring.
"You baka! Why are you acting so brave?" Recca erupted, a vein popping out on his forehead.
"You intend to continue? You won't be able to evade those thrusts with your injured leg!" Domon protested.
"Yes. Leave the rest to us, Mikagami." Fuuko advised.
Tokiya gave them shrouded look. "Don't worry. That stick won't touch me again." He held both ends of the ensui and raised it to shoulder level. "I'll show you how to stop an electric fan with my ensui."
"You won't get away this time, boy!" Daikoku jumped into the air for this ultimate technique. "One hundred strikes!"
"He's parrying!" Fuuko exclaimed in excitement as she watched Mikagami deflect each of Daikoku's advances with the ensui.
"Impossible! Why isn't he blown away by the force of the rod's propeller?" Domon cried, eyes as wide as saucers.
"That's because he's striking at the center, not the edges. That's how you stop an electric fan. Now I get it." Recca watched Mikagami with respect.
"How can he even manage to see the center?" Yanagi wondered.
"You… you deflected my hundred strikes?" Daikoku whimpered. He was panting heavily from exertion. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and dropped into a fighting stance. "Doesn't matter. I will not lose to you." He used the same attack, but with more force.
"Let's just end this." Tokiya said, as this time, he was the one who thrust his sword in a calculated series of attacks. They broke Daikoku's madogou and sliced across his chest, thighs, and shoulders. The bigger man howled in pain.
"While he countered, Mikagami memorized all of his opponent's attack patterns. That brute didn't stand a chance from the very start." Kagerou, who had joined their group in the middle of Tokiya's battle, explained from the sides.
"You definitely were not weak." Tokiya regarded his opponent. "But against me, it would have been an acrobatic feat."
There was a short break after Mikagami's match. The Hokage team was elated. Their first victory! Suddenly, anything seemed possible.
Everyone swarmed around Mikagami as he stepped on Hokage soil.
"That was awesome!" Domon practically yelled in his ear.
Little Ganko ran up to him and embraced his leg. "You were so cool, Tokiya nii-san!"
"Not bad, Mikagami!" Recca said. "You've just set the bar high."
"Congratulations, Mikagami-sempai." Yanagi smiled happily beside Recca.
All the attention and admiration made Tokiya feel uncomfortable, although he really ought to be used to being fawned over. There were girls in school who swooned at his mere presence. But this was different. Something was telling him the Hokage team members weren't being superficial.
"I'll go get the snacks." Domon grinned. "Come with me, Fuuko darling. Where are you?" He scratched his head. "Eh?"
"She's probably in the ladies' room." Recca answered, arms crossed.
"Okay. You come with me then, Hanabishi." Domon said.
The flame-caster nodded enthusiastically. "I could probably eat four sandwiches with this hype."
Both of them left for the snack bar.
That left Tokiya with Ganko and Yanagi. Kagerou was chatting with the announcer a meter away.
"Mikagami-sempai, your leg must be troubling you. Would you like me to heal it now?" Yanagi asked.
Tokiya froze. She would touch him? His heartbeat quickened involuntarily.
"If only we had bandages to wipe away the blood first…" Yanagi continued.
"I got it!"
He had not noticed the arrival of Fuuko or that she left just to get him bandages. So distracted was he by Yanagi's warm smile.
"Fuuko, can you take care of Mikagami-sempai? I have to, um… warm up."
"Sure thing."
Yanagi walked away, and Tokiya's eyes followed her back.
"Why don't you have a seat first, Mi-chan?"
His eyes flashed back to Fuuko. "What did you just call me?"
She shrugged. "Mi-chan."
"Don't ever call me that." He barked.
"Why not?"
"I hate it." He said emphatically.
She patted his shoulder. "You'll get used to it. Sit down."
He swiped the bandages from her hands. What has gotten into her? Why was she nice to him all of a sudden? Was it just because he won, and now she wanted to be in his good graces? "I clean after myself, Kirisawa."
"Of course you do." She rolled her eyes.
They glared defiantly at each other.
Until he realized someone else was watching them. And she realized it too.
They both turned to look at Ganko smiling widely at them.
"Are you two gonna fight again?" She chirped.
"Mi-chan's being stubborn as usual." Fuuko answered, showering him with a fake, sugary smile that for some unknown reason had caught him off guard.
"Do not call me that."
"See you later, Mi-chan!" She called out in a sing-song voice, waving and then turning her back on him. She rushed to meet Recca and Domon.
"You know, Tokiya-niisan, you should probably give Fuuko nee-chan a chance." Ganko said.
He almost doubled over at the implication of Ganko's words.
"… to be your friend." The little girl continued.
A sigh was torn on his lips. Of course the little one was in that hyper-optimistic stage of childhood when kids believed that everyone and anyone can get along and world peace could be achieved. And he didn't want her to lose that spark, that hope in the good nature of mankind that he lost as he watched his sister die.
"She's actually cool." Ganko finished singing her neechan's praises, abruptly interrupting Mikagami's brooding.
Tokiya couldn't believe what he just heard. Did that purple monkey brainwash poor, innocent little Ganko? As far as vocabulary and good judgment were concerned, cool and irritating were two separate, distinct categories.
Thankfully, he didn't have to reply as Recca walked over to them, hands occupied with paper bags.
"Itadakimasu!" Ganko grinned as she intercepted the food.
…to be continued…