Disclaimer: I do not own Taimanin series.


The Vengeful Blade - 02

"Are you okay? Can you stand?"

"Y-Yes."

"Why did you even try to pick a fight with them? They clearly outnumbered you. Now you got yourself all beaten up, that's so silly."

"Yu-Yukikaze?!"

"Because...they insulted my sister."

"Hah? That's it? You can just ignore them."

"They won't stop. This will happen again."

"Why though?"

"Because my family and I...are the Fuuma."

"Oh."

"Eh? Fuuma? I think I've heard of that name from Mama and Papa. What did you do?"

"Hush, Yukikaze. We should leave it at that. Anyway, take my hand. I'll help you up."

"You're...okay with helping me? The other kids will treat you like me."

"I don't see any issue with that. There's no justice in bullying someone else just because their clan has a bad reputation."

"Who are you?"

"Akiyama Rinko. This is my friend, Mizuki Yukikaze. As future Taimanins, you can rely on us for help."

"What's your name?"

"Fuuma...Fuuma Kotaro."

"Alright then, Fuuma. Call us up if anyone tries to bully you again. I'll give them a zap with my lightning!"

"Since I'm with the way of the sword, you can have faith in my strength."

"Thank you, for helping me."

"There's no need to say thanks, we all strive to become an ally of justice after all!"


Rinko sat still on her bed.

She had a feeling something slipped out of her mind after waking up a bit late than usual. It felt like she'd seen a blurry picture taken from childhood. Perhaps, it was a dream made of a certain memory. She didn't recall the details, however, the reminiscence continued to linger.

She walked down the hall of Akiyama Estate as the beginning of the morning ritual. Reaching one particular room where the door was closing shut, Rinko stopped for a moment and listened to the pure silence on the other side. Usually by this time, she would hear either the tapping noises from a keyboard or the jumping rope exercise.

"Looks like he's still away."

Akiyama Tatsuro, her younger brother, was on a long investigation outside Gosha.

Apparently, his team was looking into a bio-weapon being sold to the black market by an unknown organization. Since there were other Taimanins with him, Rinko wasn't too worried about his well-being. She hoped his mission would be a success.

Rinko continued on her to the hall of her family dojo, putting on a traditional uniform. She brought her trusty katana with her and laid it down on the floor as she kneeled next to it.

Meditation was a common practice in the dojo.

Following the teaching of the late Akiyama patriarch, she inhaled deeply to clear the mind and concentrated. This was the first step to begin the envisioning phase.

A dark figure rose up from within the shade on the floor, taking the same kneeling posture as her. It reflected her appearance, its eyes shared Rinko's commitment to swordsmanship.

At the same time, she and her shadow bowed.

In sync, they reached for Ishikiri Kanemitsus. Both swords drawn in one movement, one speed.

To polish her skills further while not depending on the Training Room technology, Rinko clashed against the reflection of her own image.

She cut the air, delivered swift strokes, performed quick footwork, tracked the imaginary opponent's movements, dodged, blocked attacks and countered. Repeating the patterns. Repeating the experience she'd learned and carved into her muscle memories.

Rinko tried to envision a new move. She jumped back while her shadow weaved in, preparing for a vertical slash. Zero feint and predictable, Rinko wanted to see how this move would turn out.

From a sheathed stance, she drew the blade at high speed. Her shadow's weapon intercepted and knocked out the way. Abruptly, Ishikiri Kanemitsu turned and went downward as Rinko twisted her arm, creating a cruciform cut in the blink of an eye.

By mastering the swift style of Itto-Ryuu, she was able to come up with this move.

Her blade connected the shadow's chest, bringing the practice match to a close.

...

...

There was some time left before sunrise.

The early morning routine was still right within schedule.

Diligently, Rinko went out for a jogging session. She was about to start a third lap around town.

A figure raced past her on the side and continued without skipping. Murasaki-sensei already entered her last lap and was sprinting to the finish line. Seeing that lit a fire in Rinko, the determination to improve oneself has always shown on that expression. She increased her pace to catch up.

Murasaki seemed to aware of another speed that tried to topple hers, she shot forwards in respond to the challenge. The destination was a park by three blocks away. Rinko'd gotten closer to Murasaki, neck-to-neck.

Rinko was a formidable Taimanin not only because of her skills, her top speed also rivaled many of the Elites. A few more seconds, she would overtake Murasaki in this short race.

Murasaki won't let that happen so easily, her competitive nature hardly allowed her to accept a second place in anything that doesn't involve the Almighty Asagi. Reinforcing her muscles with Taima energy, a deep blue aura soared around Murasaki as she took away Rinko's chance of surpassing her run.

Rinko was left behind in the dust.

...

...

"You're getting faster, Akiyama."

"I'm still nowhere as fast as you, sensei." Said Rinko as she finished the last lap.

"Even so, your speed is catching up to me. Keep it up, practicing diligently and you will be promoted to Elite Taimanin in no time."

"I believe I still have a long to go."

"Hm."

Even though Murasaki rarely gives her praise to her and others, Rinko didn't take the compliment for granted. She could see a big gap between her skills and the Elites. Closing that distance has never been an easy feat.

If anything, she wants to be promoted alongside Yukikaze and the Task Force.

"Akiyama, I heard about the result of your previous mission." Murasaki mentioned. "The village were safe since you managed to stop the detonator in time. Plus, we have zero casualty on both sides, all terrorist members of Blue Guardians arrested. Good work."

"..."

"What's wrong? You look like you want to say something."

"N-No, I...actually, I couldn't have stopped the bombs in time if it wasn't for Fuuma's support."

"So I heard from Su. He contacted you using DSO's satellite, the Conquestor. Clever, I'll give him that."

"Well, Fuuma is resourceful."

"But did he ever tell you the reason why he knew the team was in need for support?"

"Eh? N-No, he didn't tell us anything. Emily constantly updated the mission progress and sent it back to Gosha though. Maybe that's why he knew of the situation."

"I see." Murasaki fell silence and sipped the water bottle. "He just happened to know...in the middle of a night, huh."

"Is there something to concern about, Murasaki-sensei?"

"Not at all. That boy didn't take his rest properly while he's recovering from his wounds. I'm going to scold him when he gets back on my training session."

Fuuma is going to have it roughed - Rinko thought to herself.

...

...

On her way back to the Akiyama Estate, she noticed a familiar figure under the street lambs.

Fuuma Kotaro, walking on the streets in the early morning. It wasn't that much of a common sight. He's started attending school again, but Kotaro had yet to make a full recovery. The support cane continued to be an important companion that stayed with him at all time.

As she was about to call out to him, Kotaro made a turn and went off her sight.

Curiosity struck Rinko.

That direction he took led to an obstacle training course once used by the Taimanin-in-trainings before the integration of technology. Only middle schoolers use it nowadays to test their physical performance.

What was Fuuma planning by going to such a place?


The obstacle training course for young Taimanins.

It'd been a while since he was here.

That moment among the childhood memories, of which often Kotaro wouldn't try to remind himself, resurfaced.

He had came here as a little child, too eager and hurried to catch up to the adults' expectations without caring about the consequences of his actions.

Since his family was always on missions, he had tried to train himself alone through the guide from the books taken from his father's Archive.

In order to achieve the kind of strength that could help him catch up to his peers, he chose to work on techniques which turned out to be a cut above a child's capabilities.

For a shinobi, training to increase stamina is always a necessity.

The cliff wasn't that steep. He had a chance to watch Tokiko climb it with one hand tied behind her back. The boy'd hoped to do the same thing. Physical training was the one thing he could do without the need of talent, Taima energy or Ninja Art.

In the end, a misstep and without a supervisor, he'd learned a painful lesson.

Now, staring at the cliffside once again, Kotaro wanted to give himself another try, to see how much of his physical strength has returned.

The support cane folded into a small stick and kept in his pocket. Kotaro began the climb, advancing steady with each step.

For roughed estimation, the cliff was just about one third of the Great Ashen Tree's height. There were anchor points and ropes scattered along the way, he planned to use it when his stamina ran out.

Half-way through, his shadow appeared on the cliff. The sun was rising.

Kotaro started to feel the burns in his leg muscles, the forearms were bumping together with the increasing heartbeats. Kotaro strapped a rope to his belt for safety measure, that'd do for a checkpoint.

"About eighty percent."

Not much left of the distance he needs to climb. Kotaro still had some left before he reached his limit. But the next climb was the most tricky part of this cliff, the edge was hanging with the slope going inward, Kotaro would need to make a jump and pick a precise moment to grab that edge. But by that time, his stamina was already drained.

Time to put that technique into use.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Breath slow and deep. Let the air fill his lungs as much as possible, regulating heartbeats and blood flows. Don't loosen the stomach, brace it. Keep the air inside, preserve it, use it.

He detached the rope and continued the climb.

Concentrate.

Concentrate.

Some parts of the cliff were slipping, Kotaro maneuvered past those places. The temperature in his body built up slightly, he noticed that small change when the cool breezes hit.

Kotaro made it near the edge, standing at thirty degree angle. If he turned around at this height, he could get a good view of Gosha Village.

Slowly, Kotaro dropped down his knees, leaving just his grip on the rock. The final challenge of this climb required a big jump, the amount of strength left in his arms should be enough.

Once again, inhale...exhale. Cough! Cough! Yikes! Almost blew it. Stay calm, this one moment demanded zero unnecessary motions and no room for reckless judgements.

Rustle!

He heard the grass moving above. Someone else also came to the training course.

"Alright. Time to make the jump."

Kotaro swung his lower body back and forth, charging momentums before the decisive instance. Combining with a kick of his legs, Kotaro propelled himself up, both arms thrown out to catch the edge.

Crack!

He slipped.

The place where he grabbed came off. Erosion became the unexpected factor, it stopped Kotaro from reaching the goal. History was repeating, such a thought had turned up in his mind. That was it, he'd grit his teeth to brace the impact.

Until a shadow with long blue hair appeared in his view.

"Fuuma!"

A arm reached out and caught his, he returned a tight grip to that soft hand. Kotaro won't ever mistake that beautiful feature of his senior.

"Rinko-senpai?"

"I've got you! Hold on!"

She pulled him up. Thanks to her timing, Kotaro managed to reach the top safely.

...

...

"What are you doing here?" He asked her.

"That should be my question." She said with a small frown. "You're on recovery. What were you trying to do with such a risky climb?"

"I just wanted to see how much of my strength are back."

"You could try the high-pressure simulator."

Hearing that advise somehow gave Kotaro deja vu, he shrugged it off.

"It's better to do it through a practical method."

"That may be true. But this could cause risks for your injuries, you were doing this by yourself."

"I used safety equipment."

"Are you that eager to come back to work? Back to being our Captain?" Rinko was interested in his reason.

Kotaro didn't answer right away, he took a moment as if he was contemplating the words.

"I do miss the actions with you and the rest of our team."

"Oh."

"Also..."

"?"

"I found out a bit more about what I should be doing to take the necessary steps forward."

Rinko titled her head, not quite catching the meaning.

"Kinda like reaching an improvement." Kotaro quickly added after noticing the curiosity from her gaze. "For both myself and the team."

Her eyes fixed on him, a bit longer than usual.

"This is the kind of development everyone's been talking about." She muttered. "You're being...motivated, more than ever."

While Kotaro was focusing on the rope strapped to his utility belt, he looked at Rinko.

"What were you saying?"

"Ah! Nothing. That's an interesting idea you got there. It seems like you have it worked out while you were resting."

"Yeah." He nodded and threw the anchor rope back to the cliffside. "Can't wait to get back on the field with you, Rinko-senpai."

"Oh..."

Kotaro suddenly blurted out words that caught her off guard. The sunlight at dawn highlighted the change on Rinko's cheeks, she let out a cough to regain the composure. It was a good thing her heart and mind already warmed up from the exercises.

Whether it was intentional or not, she's got to be mindful of his slick personality. It wasn't like she considered that part of him to be bad, in a way it was kind of char-Never mind!

"Anyway, Fuuma."

"Yes?"

"You helped me last time. If it wasn't for your impeccable timing, things could have gone very wrong." She smiled. "Thank you."

"That was also thanked to Rinko-senpai's skills. If you didn't chase after the terrorist, I wouldn't be able to come up with any other option in time."

"Even so, without your help I would have lost my way in that storm."

Rinko recalled that single moment where her blade unconsciously aimed for the terrorist's neck. Bloodshed has always been a common thing to the Taimanin, but there are some lines one should not cross so willingly.

Something would have changed, for better or worse, she wasn't sure.

"Did something happen, Rinko-senpai?"

"Eh?! Ah...no. It was...it was nothing. What I'm saying is despite my Void Art, there wasn't much I could do with the situation at time. So your instruction had been a great help."

"It's the Captain's responsibility, I don't think Rinko-senpai need to say anything more about it. On the other hand, I'm glad you still find my support as helpful. If anything, you stopped the sabotage using the way of the sword. Without that, my instruction would mean nothing."

"Err...well..."

Rinko realized she'd nearly leaked out hints of her fluster to Kotaro.

It happened again, this made no sense to her.

She has great self-control. And yet, every time in front of him, she'd made these minor blunder for no reason. Even if she was prepared, his words alone could some time break down that wall. He didn't even have to do it in a subtle manner.

Knowing that, a slight irritation ticked her. That sounded so much like she'd unintentionally dropped her guard due to being near him.

"Are you busy after classes?" She asked.

Rinko wanted to get back on him for that. This time, she would strike first.

"Asagi-sensei is on an escort mission with Chief Yamamoto for today. There's also not much left of the paperwork, I guess I'm free." Kotaro pondered.

"G-Good. In that case, would you like to go to the shopping district with me?"

He looked at her, curious by the offer.

"Yukikaze asked me to look for a certain phone charm. It's a limited edition, by the way. Apparently, the design is so popular and it's always sold out in a short time." Rinko explained. "Since she's on a dispatched mission today, she's afraid she wouldn't be able to purchase it on time. I agreed to help her get one."

"A popular phone charm that Yukikaze likes? Sounds interesting."

"Right? Yukikaze looked so excited about it, makes me wanted to know what kind of phone charm is it too. I plan to go there right after classes."

"Okay. I'll meet you up by you classroom, Rinko-senpai."

Rinko brightened up.

"It's a promise, Fuuma! Don't be late."

"I'll be on my way as quick as I can." Kotaro chuckled.

After leaving the training course and parting their ways, Rinko occasionally skipped a step while she walked the early morning streets. As the streets were still empty, no one saw the joy on her face.

She has earned herself an afterschool date.

/