[I
will not cower.]
“My
son, taught by a girl?” the man sneers. “I cannot have this.” The words
sting, but Kaoru has grown used to the pain.
“Forgive
me for not seeing how that should make a difference, Hamaguchi-san,”
she says stiffly. “I believe my father trained me well. I am perfectly capable
of teaching Koji.” She glances at the young boy standing silently by his
father’s side.
Hamaguchi Koji is staring at
the ground, clearly uncomfortable. He will not speak for her. Kaoru supposes it
would be foolish of her to expect him to.
The
elder Hamaguchi seems offended by Kaoru's words.
“Impudent female,” Koji’s father hisses. “Women should know their place.” The
glare on his face would have caused many people to wilt.
Kaoru
is not one of them. She meets his gaze unflinchingly. She will not back down to
the likes of him.
The
Hamaguchis leave, and she
knows they will never come back. Kaoru re-enters her yard, resisting the urge
to slam the gate shut. Another one of her precious students
gone.
Making
an effort to be gentle, she closes the gate.
Well.
What’s done is done. She will still get by.
[I
will not be pitied.]
“No,
Tae-san,” Kaoru says, her voice firm. “You’ve been kind enough, bringing food
over to my home. Please, let me pay for it.”
While
I still can.
Her
thought goes unvoiced, but it seems as if Tae hears anyway. The stubborn set in
her friend’s jaw fades, and she nods.
She
quotes Kaoru a price – a price far too low, Kaoru is certain. But she also
knows Tae better than to protest further. Silently, she rummages in her purse
for the amount, and presses the money into Tae’s reluctant hands.
“Thank
you so much, Tae-san. You’ve been very –” Kaoru tries to bow, but Tae lays a
hand on her shoulder, stopping her. The woman stares into Kaoru’s eyes, her
worried expression making Kaoru uncomfortable.
“Are
you sure you will be fine?” This time Kaoru is the one who hears Tae’s unspoken
words. With so little to sustain you…
Kaoru
gives her friend a reassuring smile, even as she wonders the same thing.
[I
will not cry].
“I
cannot cry,” Kaoru snarls. “There’s no time for this!”
But
the tears continue to fall.
She
sits in a corner of the dojo, staring out into the wooden hall. Save for her,
it is empty.
Her
eyes close, refusing to look any longer.
What’s
a dojo without students?!
She
had been expecting – hoping for – their presence. Yuusuke,
Ryuutaro, Shinji. And Takeru, and his younger brother Takeshi. But three
of them came by earlier, bringing the news Kaoru has been dreading.
No
word from Takeru or his brother yet, but their
absence tells Kaoru all she needs to know.
Curse
you, Battousai…
She
feels anger welling up inside her. Anger at the parents of
her students, for forbidding their children to learn from her. Anger at the killer who had marred – was still marring – the name
of her dojo.
Most
of all, anger at herself, for allowing it all.
Kaoru
rises, and picks up her fallen bokken. With a loud
yell, she swings it with all the energy she can muster.
Her
cry is unrestrained, but her strike is measured, controlled, and powerful. No
less could be expected of her; shihandai of the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu, and a student
of Kamiya Koshijirou.
She
maintains her stance, breathing hard. The tears have stopped.
That’s
enough.
[I
will not be afraid.]
But
she is.
It
is only understandable. She is a mere kenjutsu
instructor – one not fully trained at that. He is a swordsman of legendary
skill, and will ruthlessly cut down anyone who stands his way. To him, she
would just be one more kill.
She
fastens the strip of white cloth around her head, and studies herself in the
mirror.
She
is afraid. Even her reflection betrays this.
But
that will not stop her.
As
she steps away from her home, bokken in hand, she
glances one last time at the sign by the gate. Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu Kenjutsu Dojo.
Her father’s legacy.
She
turns forward, and does not look back.
Some
things, she knows, are more important than her life.
Come
out and face me, Battousai.
I’m
ready for you.
