Chapter Six

Two weeks had passed since the strike and sure enough, Tifa and Cloud made Sasuke and Akira's lives miserable with the near-staggering workload they had planned for them, while Kenzo made Kenta's life a living hell. Even with his martial arts training, Akira was exhausted, and the only thing that the boys could do after that week was simply to eat, take a bath, and fall asleep.

However, given the tempers of both Sasuke and Akira, that wasn't going to last.

That morning, Tifa had left an announcement with Cloud, who told the boys that Tifa was taking the day off. As usual, Sasuke, being the most vocal of the boys, immediately shouted that the landlord should be at the dorm at all times. Cloud, with his patience with the raven-haired kid growing thin, reminded him that he was also the landlord and that Tifa was taking the day off for 'personal reasons', and that he was in charge of the dorm until she came back.

Sasuke was outside sweeping the stone walkway when Akira, who was finished with his chores long before Sasuke, came from around the house, dressed in his hakama and sweating, following his training session. Cloud had gone shopping, taking Riku, Kurama, and Alex with him and Kenta was working at Kenzo's cafe.

Apparently, the two boys were still mad over the failed strike.

"I can't believe this!" Sasuke huffed, throwing down the broom in frustration. "Just wait until that bitch comes back!"

Akira nodded. "Haruno has crossed the line this time. These chores are the responsibilities of the landlord, not us. I think it's high time to remind her what her responsibilities are once Tifa and Cloud are gone."

Sasuke was about to reply when he heard voices coming from the stairs. Akira stiffened slightly as he felt the ki signatures of three more people other than Tifa.

Sasuke turned to the stairway and marched over there. "I am going to give those two a piece of my…" He stopped in his tracks as to what he saw. Akira stood beside him.

Tifa was walking up the stairway, but she wasn't alone. Flanking her were two men, older than she was, Denzel and another woman walking beside him. Tifa was dressed in a simple blue karate gi with a black belt, white hachimaki, and an undershirt. The man on the left was just as built, despite his age. He has gray hair that was in a ponytail and a flowing white beard.

A scar was evident over his left eyebrow and his arms showed even more scars on them. To both the Pekara House Residents, he reminded them of the ascetic yamabushi of old, due to his homely appearance, as well as the beige-tattered dogi he wore. On his neck, he wore a massive set of prayer beads. If anything, he could pass for Tifa's grandfather.

It was, however, the man on the right that made both Sasuke and Akira uneasy. The second man was younger than the older man, but still older than Tifa. Instead of a hakama, he was dressed in a tattered black karate dogi, with the length of a coarse brown rope wrapped around his waist in place of a belt. His hair was white, with black steaks on the sides and tied into a topknot, although to Sasuke and Akira, it reminded them of a white lotus bud.

Unlike the other man's gentle face, his expression was the exact opposite. His face looked like it was ready for battle, with the eyes black, the result of an exorcism gone wrong.

Denzel was dressed in a simple orange karate dogi, with his hair neatly combed back. The last woman was Japanese, just as physically fit as Tifa, both Sasuke and Akira deducted, with long-length purple hair tied into pigtails, and like her American counterparts, was dressed in simple yukata.

Akira got over his shock. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

Tifa looked at the female kendoist. "It is none of your concern, Yukinori. Now move."

"Just where are you?!" Sasuke half-shouted. "You are supposed to be here for the residents! And this is still a men's dormitory! You can't just walk out of here…"

"Uchiha," Tifa cut in, with her voice taking on a steely hardness. "Shut the fuck up. You or that pathetic excuse for a kendoist are in no position to tell me what I can and cannot do. I, as well as my husband, are the landlords here, not you." She pointed to the other three people. "They are here because I invited them. The two older men are my masters in the Kyokugenryu Karate, and the Japanese is a friend of mine, so either you show them the utmost respect while they are here or I will show you the door."

Sasuke backed off. Following the failed strike, Sasuke knew that Tifa could drop him in an instant. Tifa saw that Akira still had her sword out, preparing to attack the white-haired man. "Yukinori, I said put your sword away. Now."

The man in the black karate dogi turned to Tifa. "Yukinori you say?" he quipped, with his voice deep and resonating power that made Sasuke flinch. "I didn't know you had a Matsushiro runt here, Tifa."

"How…dare you, you vile demon?!" Akira shouted. "You dare insult my school and my honor?!"

"And what exactly are you going to do with it, pup?" the dark man taunted, turning back to Akira.

Akira charged at the newcomer, with his sword held high. When he got close enough, the man merely caught his wrists in a vice-like grip, and just as Tifa had done, disarmed him and Akira found himself feeling the sword's blade against his throat.

"All too easy," the man said. "Is this what the Matsushiro producing now? Your ancestors would be turning in their graves." His grip on the sword tightened. "A word of advice, little one. Try and show your elders a little bit more respect. You'll live longer that way."

Tifa turned to the other man. "Master Zangan, do you mind?"

Rashard sighed. "Amir, you have made your point. Let the boy go."

Amir rather removed the sword and tossed it to the ground, with the blade sticking out. "Be thankful to my brother and to Tifa that I won't spill your guts to the light of day." He walked back to the other three Kyokugenryu Karate masters. He cast another hard glare at Akira, who was visibly shaken before turning to Tifa and the others. All three people walked inside the dorm without further incident.

Sasuke rushed over to Akira, who was still visibly shaken. "It's him…" he breathed. "I…I thought that Tifa was bluffing when she said that he practices the Kyokugenryu Karate…"

"Who are they?" Sasuke asked, noticing the damp spot that was appearing on Akira's hakama pants. Whoever the guy was, he had scared Akira to the point that he had urinated on himself.

Akira slumped to his knees. "Amir… 'The true master of Kyokugenryu Karate.' I…I thought he was just a myth."

At that moment, Cloud and the others showed up, carrying bags of groceries. Cloud looked at Akira. "What happened to you? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Some guy named Amir did this to him," Sasuke said. "He scared him senseless."

Cloud nodded in understanding. "You didn't attack him, did you, Akira? He has that effect on most people who try to fight him."

Sasuke looked at Cloud. "Why are you so calm about this? He could have mauled Akira!!"

"And he didn't," Cloud replied, "because today is the anniversary of Master Raidou's death. Raidou is the man who trained Tifa's masters. That is why they are here. Akira got lucky he didn't attack him, and believe me when I say this. Amir is scary whenever he fights. The other man is Master Zangan."

"Who is the purple-haired girl that was with them?" Sasuke asked.

"That's Alice Tsukagami," Cloud replied. "They both trained together. She is also the heiress of a rich hotel tycoon owner and her family sponsors several of the high schools and cram schools here."

Sasuke blinked. "That was Alice Tsukagami? The Pan-American champion?"

Inside the lobby, Denzel served the four people tea before excusing himself from the room.

Rashard looked around. "This place still looks the same. Where's Kizashi and Mebuki?"

"From what Sakura has told me, they have gone on a world tour," Tifa replied. "They have been gone for some time."

"So," Amir began, "what is it that you wanted to tell us?"

"Cloud and I have decided to open a joint-martial arts school on the other side of the Okayama Prefecture," Tifa replied. "We have already found a perfect location near Suzaku Castle."

"And you want our blessings," Rashard surmised.

"Not to mention some extra funds and a sponsor," Alice butted in.

Tifa nodded.

"Well, now that you're married and settled down, it would be good for you to pass on our skills," Rashard said after thinking about it long and hard. "And you might need some help in teaching the students, so perhaps Amir and I can be of assistance when needed."

"But what are you going to call the school?" Amir asked. "No one in their right mind would attend a school whose translation means 'Extreme Fist.'"

"I got that covered, Uncle," Tifa replied. "Everyone seems to think that our fighting style is for some reason a Shotokan variant of Karate. Cloud and I have decided to call the dojo the Shotokan-Wushu School of Martial Arts."

At that moment, Cloud entered the lobby, balancing the bags of groceries. He exchanged with Alice and the older men before excusing himself to the kitchen to put away the food.

"As for the school," Rashard continued, "You have my blessings."

"And mine as well," Amir added.

Tifa acknowledged them both with a nod to the head. "Thank you." She looked at Alice. "Well?"

Alice folded her arms across her chest. "You know what I want."

Both Rashard and Amir knew where this was going. Cloud, who had been listening in on the conversation, also knew.

Tifa smiled. "You don't get tired of this, do you?"

Alice smirked to herself. "I could say the same thing for you."

"Maybe," Tifa replied, "but I got the better win record between us. On the roof, five minutes."

Tifa and Alice faced off on the rooftop of the Pekara House where Riku would hang his laundry. Tifa was dressed in her usual white karate dogi and white headband, while Alice was dressed in her pink karate dogi.

Both women turned to Zangan and Amir and bowed, showing respect for their masters. The two older Kyokugenryu Karate fighters nodded back, both of them with their arms folded. Cloud also stood on the sidelines, standing beside Zangan, while Denzel stood near the stairs.

The two young fighters turned to each other and went into their fighting stances after bowing to one another. It was a basic Kyokugenryu Karate side stance that they both used; the left arm led out in front, deceptively low but ready to parry away a slew of assaults from any angle, while the right was held closer to her face, clenched into a loose fist which could attack or defend at a moment's notice.

Then the fight began.

Alice, ever the aggressor, attacked first, throwing several punches to Tifa's head and chest areas, with the American fighter defending and parrying the attacks, before Tifa fought back, with one of her punches glancing off of Alice's head, snapping it to the side, before Alice countered with a punch of her own.

As the fight continued, Sasuke, Akira, and Kenta appeared from the stairs and saw the fight between the two women. Akira, as well as Sasuke kept their distance from Amir, remembering well their last encounter from earlier, while Kenta stayed away from Cloud, and the Pekara House Residents preferred to stand around Denzel.

Kenta was watching Alice with interest. "She's hot. Who is she?" he asked Sasuke.

"Alice Tsukagami," Sasuke replied. "She's also trained in the Zangan Martial Arts, Kyokugenryu and she is a longtime friend and rival of Tifa."

Akira blinked. "Alice Tsukagami? That's Alice Tsukagami? The Pan-American champion?"

Apparently, Akira remembers Alice Tsukagami from earlier. The Tsukagami Foundation was one of the sponsors of his school, as well as one of the sponsors of his school's karate and kendo teams. "That gaijin is also a master of the Zangan Martial Arts and the Kyokugenryu Karate?" the kendoist asked.

Denzel nodded. "That 'gaijin' you spoke of is also half-Japanese," he replied flatly.

Meanwhile, the match continued. Alice's style of the Kyokugenryu Karate was more style than substance, while Tifa's was more substance. They had both agreed not to use their ki attacks since one misfiring Ko-Ou Ken would put the spectators' lives at risk.

It was, however, one miscalculation that cost Alice the match. Her ego getting the best of him, he attempted a Kohou but missed. When he landed, Tifa was in the air spinning, with the last thing Alice saw before he was sent spinning to the ground was Tifa's outstretched foot slamming into her face three times.

"Hien Shippuu Kyaku!!"

Sasuke winced as Tifa's Flying Swallow Kick connected, knocking Alice to the floor.

Alice decided that enough was enough. "Okay, okay. You win this round."

Tifa extended her hand and helped Alice to her feet. They both bowed to each other, then to Zangan and Amir, who returned the gesture.

Later on, as the boys were in their rooms, Sakura, who was visiting, asked to speak with Tifa and Cloud in private.

The two interim landlords and the vacationing landlord were in the lobby, having tea. "I hope the boys aren't causing you too much trouble," Sakura said.

Tifa shrugged his shoulders. "They are just spoiled, with the exception of Kazuya and the younger ones. They are not quite used to hard work. So what do you want to see us for?"

Sakura leaned back in her seat. "Several of my friends are in need of a place to stay. Like me when I first came here, they were kicked out. I'm telling you this beforehand. I'm going to change the Pekara House into a co-ed dormitory."

Cloud could almost see the reactions from Sasuke, Akira, and Kenta. "Are you sure about this?" he asked.

Sakura nodded firmly.

"So…" Cloud began. "Who is going to deliver the news to the boys?"

"I will," Sakura said. "My mom and dad left this place to me and this is my decision."

Tifa nodded. "Now you know what it means to finally stand up for yourself, Sakura."

"One more thing, Tifa." Off of Tifa's puzzled look, Sakura asked, "Did your sensei really make Akira piss in his hakama?"

Tifa grinned. "You would have enjoyed it, Sakura. The look on his face was priceless."

Fortunately, the following day was their much-deserved day off. So before they could enjoy it, Cloud and Tifa had asked them to come to the lobby for an announcement.

Upon arriving, they saw that Sakura was waiting for them, along with Kenzo as the boys sat down. Kurama, however, had another idea in his head.

"Sakura-Chan!!!" Kurama cried, leaping towards the vacationing landlord in his usual fashion, which was a greeting dropkick. Sakura, having been dropkicked one too many times by Kurama, ducked and Kurama went flying past her, crashing into a crate that had come in earlier that day. Fortunately, for Kurama, he had crashed and burned into a promised crate of oranges that Tifa had shipped from Canada.

Almost immediately, Sasuke, Akira, and Kenta were relieved. After working their fingers to the bone, and having been kicked out, Sakura was finally back.

"Are you coming back as the landlord?" Sasuke asked.

"Please come back, Haruno," Akira pleaded.

Sakura shook her head. "No. I came back here because I have an announcement to make." He looked at the boys closely. "As of today, the Pekara House is no longer a boys-only dormitory. It is now co-ed."

The reactions were almost instantaneous.

"A CO-ED DORM?!" Sasuke screamed. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

"I cannot accept this, Haruno!!" Akira shouted. "What about Kurama, Alex, and Riku?! They could be put at risk!!"

"Kizashi and Mebuki would have never allowed this!!" Kenta shouted.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!" Sakura bellowed, with enough anger in her voice. This caused the other boys to back off as Sakura glared at all three. "You three are in no position to be telling me what I can and cannot do! I am still the landlord of this dorm!!" She was screaming at the top of her lungs now, having completely snapped. "Either you accept my decisions and live with it, or you can pick your shit and get the fuck out of my dorm!!"

Sasuke, Akira, and Kenta were taken aback at their landlord's words. Kenzo was impressed that his sister had finally grown a spine. The same couldn't be said for both Sasuke and Akira, since they both charged at Sakura.

"YOU DAMN BITCH!!" Sasuke screamed.

"PREPARE TO DIE, HARUNO!!!" Akira cried out as he reached for his zatoichi sword, having left his sword in his room.

"Myuh…myuh."

In Akira's path was Tama-Chan. The Okinawan hot springs turtle was at Akira's eye level, seeing as how he was flying. In an instant, Akira's rage at Sakura was immediately overridden by his phobia of turtles.

"T-turtle!! Get away from me!!!" Akira screamed as he swung his zatoichi sword at Tama. In his state of fear, he had inadvertently caught Sasuke full in the face, knocking Sasuke out cold. Then Tama landed on Akira's head. At that moment, Akira passed out.

Sakura looked at the sight of Sasuke and Akira on the floor in a heap. "Serves them right," he said before turning to the door. He stopped to turn to Tifa and Cloud. "I was hoping that they would assault me. That way I could evict them."

Kenta blinked. "You were going to evict them?"

Without hesitating, Sakura replied, "Yes. And you as well. You should be thanking me, Kenta. Tifa and Cloud talked me out of it and took the job of running this damn circus. I'd watch myself from now on if I were you."