YnM Fanfiction

Sakura

Written by Calis

Disclaimer: YnM belongs to Yoko Matsushita-sensei

Chapter Three: Honour and Pride

" Hajime! "

The two opponents shifted into the Hasso no kamae position, warily observing each other to see who would make the first move. Hasty to score one of them immediately attempted a Uchiotishi waza, a technique used to strike his opponent's shinai down. Oriya having predicted the move countered it easily with Kaeshi waza. Instead of blocking the strike, he slid his own shinai against his opponent's and counter attacked by using the reflex power of the other shinai. Not expecting the sudden retaliation, his opponent stumbled back almost losing his balance as he tried to block Oriya's assault. He even surprised Oriya faintly when he managed to clumsily ward off the Kaeshi waza however he was not fast enough for the blow that connected with unerring accuracy with his Sho-men.

" Men Ari! Ipphon to Oriya-kun! Wakare! "

They disengaged and backed away from each other, taking up guard positions again while they waited for their sensei to give the command for the shiai to resume. Oriya blinked away the sweat that had dripped into his eyes, adjusting his grip on the bamboo sword even as he readied his stance. He could not allow his concentration to waver now as he faced his opponent, watching for the smallest hint of a movement from the silts of his men. The barest shift of his opponent's foot warned Oriya and he swung his Shinai to block the assault aimed at his Sho-men. Disengaging quickly, Oriya took the offensive as he executed a lightning quick thrust towards the Hidari-do of his opponent. It was a difficult move with high risk since if his stroke was not precise enough to score on his opponent's left torso area he would be left exposed and vulnerable to retaliation.

" Yuko dotatsu. Do Ari! Nihonme! Oriya-kun wins this match. "

The two opponents bowed to each other and to their sensei as instructions were called out for another pair to start sparring. Placing his shinai on a stand, Oriya sat down to rest as untied the laces on his Men to remove the protective helmet. He was breathing heavily after his exertions yet the satisfaction of a match well fought eluded him. Oriya knew it was pure luck that had given him the match and not skill. Had he been paired with a more experienced opponent, his stroke would have deflected with ease. He had not given his best to this match and that was an insult both to his opponent and to the spirit of Kendo.

" You are distracted again, Oriya-kun. " Takizawa-sensei commented flatly to Oriya as he dismissed the rest, calling an end to the practice for the day.

" Gomen nasai, Sensei. " Oriya bowed his head in apology.

" While brilliantly executed, a Hidari-do strike would have been foolish had I partnered you with anyone else on Suzuki-kun or Esumi-kun's level. Whatever problems you might have, they should be left behind before you enter into the dojo. I expect better of you, Oriya-kun. Mediate on your mistake today, I want to see you in better form tomorrow. "

" Hai, Sensei. " Oriya bowed again as his teacher left the dojo.

Alone now, Oriya left out a sigh of frustration. The dream that had haunted his nights now intruded into his days and the accident with Nikami Yuji weighted on his mind. Even the only activity that he liked in school had not been able to ease his spirit. Oriya closed his hazel eyes in search for his lost equilibrium as assumed a meditative position with his arms resting on his crossed knees. Yet the seclusion offered by the deserted dojo only served to focus his mind more sharply on the details of his dream. However, Oriya did not fight it this time instead he let go and allowed himself to be swept away by the currents of sensations. Perhaps the only way to get his life back to normal was to understand his dream.

" So you are the one who broke my little brother's nose... Now, aren't you ashamed of yourself, Yuji? You picked a fight with a girly wimp and you lost? "

" Iie, iie! Yutai-san! We were just joking around when that sneak attacked Yuji with a weapon, Yutai-san! " Voices that Oriya recognized as Nikami's cronies simpered their well-rehearsed reply.

Oriya opened his dark hazel eyes slowly, quietly observing the scene in front of him. Apparently, Yuji has gone running to his elder brother. Nikami Yutai was the exact image of Yuji, except that the older boy was a meaner and bigger copy. Oriya was well aware that the senior boy had a reputation just as hefty as his size. Yutai was notorious for extorting protection money from junior students and beating them up if they refused to pay. Yet no one ever dared to report such incidents because his parents controlled the school board, making Yutai and Yuji virtually untouchable by the teachers and even the principal.

They surrounded him now, four senior students together with Yutai while Yuji and three of his cronies blocked off any means of escape. Oriya retrieved his shinai from the stand as he rose to his feet. He did not bother to make any reply since it was evident that they were just aching for a fight. By shouting insults and sly remarks about his gender, they were just trying to make him angry and careless. Badly outnumbered, Oriya will not get through this confrontation unscalded but keeping a cool head would at least ensure that he would last longer and wreak more damage in return.

Yutai and his gang wasted no time once they realized that Oriya would not response to their taunts. Two of them rushed him with their fists leading. Sidestepping, Oriya cleanly dodged before executing a wicked blow against the left knee of one of his attackers, shattering the bone with a horrifying crack. Oriya was in no mood to be merciful; he had to incapacitate his attackers quickly before they overwhelm him by sheer numbers. The boy collapsed, clutching his broken knee in shock and pain. Wary now with one of their own down, the other three senior students retreated beyond the range of Oriya's weapon.

Changing tactics they circled like hyenas, harrying him until exhaustion finally give them the opening they needed for a kill. The weakened shinai split into two pieces on impact with a fleshy forearm that Yutai had raised to block. Before Oriya would react, a fist connected solidly with his stomach. Seeing their chance, the rest of Yutai's gang closed in. Instead of plummeting him senseless, they grabbed his limbs instead immobilizing him. A hand grabbed Oriya's hair and jerked his head back violently to face the leering countenance of the elder Nikami.

" What a pretty boy we have here.... Won't it be a pity if there is just a tiny little scar here? " Yutai's short and stubby fingers grasped Oriya's face, squeezing hard enough to cause pain.

Oriya felt the cold chill of fear as he watched someone hand Yutai a paper cutter. Yutai pushed forward the blade, the tiny clicks sounded ominously loud to Oriya's ears. To demonstrate just what he intended to do to Oriya, Yutai carelessly shredded a piece of paper with the cutter illustrating the sharpness of the blade by the effortless way it sliced the paper apart. He moved the dangerous tool closer to Oriya's face, waving it back and forth threatening.

" I wouldn't do that if I were you, Nikami Yutai. "

Author's note:

I'm using a lot of Japanese terms here so please let me know if things get too confusing and I'll be sure to add a glossary to explain.