Description: After Kurow's ambush, Hotaru and her apprentice pick themselves back up again and take stock. Will an attack by such a deadly opponent detour Kentou from training under her? Will Hotaru risk letting further harm come to the boy when her portfolio of enemies come gunning for her?
There's a lot to be said for not having the greatest of constitutions at times. It means you drop to the ground without taking the same level of cumulative damage that big bruisers take before they're out of the fight. Which probably worked to Kentou's advantage in this specific case, as Kurow Kirishima seemed to have little interest in hanging around in the aftermath of the battle that look place on the erstwhile tranquil grounds. Which was a relief for Hotaru as she came to some time later, finding the yard abandoned except for herself and her unconscious student.
Awakening to the pain of countless small cuts and gashes, Hotaru had found something lying atop her stomach. A hair ribbon, once worn by herself months ago. Dirty, tattered, and laced with fine beach sand Thailand, she recognizes it immediately as the small trophy Kurow had claimed after their battle of wills back then. Left by accident? Or is it a message? After checking Kentou and laying him out flat on the grass, the girl had taken to sitting against the base of a tree, herself, one hand holding the ribbon up in front of her, staring at it thoughtfully as it flutters and twists in the wind.
She had felt something in the final moments of the fight. Something she would never admit. Envy for his power, jealousy that he had the strength and speed he did. Her peer in age, but vastly her superior in ability. But what he has comes at a price. One she could never pay. One she /hopes/ she could never pay. But there were other things to contemplate. The brief spike she felt when she bested his whirlwind of chi with a powerful, uncontrolled burst of chi. She has had similar experiences in other desperate times in the past. It was such a spike that protected her from Daiyobi's savage attack when ambushed at the Kyokugen dojo as well. She couldn't explain it then, nor can she explain it now. A quiet sigh as she rubs her sore leg where Kurow had landed a few deeper scrapes with those claws of is.
If one was to suggest that Kentou's inflexibility and similar inability to take such a tremendous pounding was an asset.. Well, the boy would quickly retort that the pounding, horrible headache Kentou awakens with feels nothing like a 'good thing'.
At a cursory glance, the small teen seemed to be alright. Nothing obviously broken and he sounds like he's breathing easily enough, suggesting that no major internal damage was taken from the brutal series of blows he withstood.
"...Nnngh.." A soft mewling sound rises from the youth as his breath deepens. Expression twisting sharply as a grimace creases his lips, "...Hota.."
Mousey eyes slowly peer open, the blurry image of the darkening sky of the early evening fills his vision as a flood of events fill his mind like a swirling storm. Driven by the thundering percussion of a splitting headache as a hand quickly lifts to press to his forehead, "..Hrgh.."
Wait wait.. The pain in his side and ribcage.. the bump on his head.. That tall teenager and Hotaru fighting..
"Hotaru!"
Kentou immediately sits bolt upright, gasping for air as a shot of adrenaline brings him back to the here and now. Immediately looking about in a moment panic.. Wondering if the battle still rages and if he can still help!
...Of course.. the silent Church lets him know that moment has long since passed. The spinning sensation in his head also lets him know its okay to lay back down now. Infact, the headache insists.
The boy flops back onto the grass slowly with a pained expression, finally catching a glimpse of Hotaru in the corner of his eye as he double-takes in her direction, "A..Are... Hotaru..?" A hand slowly moving to clutch at his aching side.
Oh man, she looks hurt.. What happened?!
"He's gone," Hotaru remarks simply as Kentou tries to sit up in a panic. Her tone is subdued, soothing in a way, as if putting the frantic worries of the battle completely out of mind. She lowers the ribbon she was holding in front of her eyes down to her lap and looks at the boy more closely now that he's regained consciousness.
She looks rather torn up, herself. Her white pants streaked with blood, small cuts and tears all over her clothing evidence of the slashing damage she took from the few moves it took Kurow to take the fight right out of her. His strength in striking is undeniable. His accuracy almost incomprehensible in a boy his age. Hotaru's eyes lose their focus after a while as if looking through Kentou toward something in the distance. "I'm sorry, Kentou... Sorry that you got pulled into the middle of that." She exhales a little before leaning her head back against the trunk and staring up at the branches heavy with drying Fall leaves.
"That was Kurow Kirishima. A student from Justice High. But... his school has nothing to do with what you saw." She shakes her head slowly. The young teen has a right to know, but at the same time she loathes the idea of having to be the one to burden him with the knowledge she has about the legacy of the Imawano...
At Hotaru's quiet declairation, the boy actually manages to crack a slow, if weary smile. Slowly holding up his right hand with thumb extended, "G..Great Hotaru! Y..You beat him!" A feeling of relief washes through the youth as he then allows himself to lay his head back down upon the grass. Closing his eyes while rubbing the top of his head with his off-hand, "..I..I'm glad.. That guy was.. he was.. wow.." Kentou can't even describe that young man.
The damage Hotaru seems to have taken parses with what that monster was doing.. But hey, Hotaru took just as many cuts from those swords that lumbering giant had! Of course, even that mammoth never quite hit the boy as hard as that nerdy looking kid did to him.
Kentou murmurs quietly, "..How a string-bean with a bad haircut like him hit so hard.. I have no ide-"
Kentou's hand suddenly lifts from his blinking eyes as the girl's distant apology finally processes through his addled, ringing mind. Wide, glimmering eyes then turn to the girl with obvious surprise. Letting her finish her.. confession? Lecture? A mix of the two?
At first the boy was already beginning to formulate a whole litany of things to say to his sensei, a pained smile already beginning to form as he impulsively begins, "S..sensei no.. its okay you di-Waitwait!"
Kentou blurts as a thought completely derails all others, sitting up quickly once more with his hand remaining on his forehead, "Kiris..Kirishima.. Kirishima.."
The hand slowly falls away from his face as his eyes remain wide, "...Yurika's brother.." The revelation strikes the youth hard, as it begins to make sense.. Of course! Yurika said she learned everything from her younger brother. And she was -extremely- good herself.. And.. and...
Yurika can fight? That's news to Hotaru. When she went to challenge the frilly, prissy looking girl she hardly looked capable of fighting nor bore the eagerness to demonstrate such that she would have expected. Hotaru had written it off as some kind of collosal goof up. After all, the World Warrior Mini tournament /was/ Naerose's event. The idea that a girl utterly incapable of defending herself could make it to the final round hardly struck Hotaru as a surprise. She's far more surprised that Kentou describes her abilities as 'extremely good'. But first things first.
"I've only been awake a little longer than you," the girl states, eager to put out the boy's mind that she bested Kurow. In truth, the final moments are a blur to her. "I don't know what happened. I- I attacked him with everything I had but I blacked out... He was gone when I woke up." She glances over herself for the fifth time since coming to, inspecting herself for any injuries that he might have inflicted while she was unconscious, but all of the cuts, wounds, and gashes she could account for from the fight itself.
Hence her conclusion, "I think we might have knocked each other out. That he left without doing anything else suggests that he was in no condition to risk being caught here afterward... Thanks to you, anyway." she states with a quiet smile. She was not oblivious to what the young Ondori was doing throughout the fight. She may have wished he wasn't there, but she can't deny the courage he demonstrated on her behalf. The bold dashes against a foe far more powerful than he could comprehend.
"Yurika can fight, huh?" the girl sounds genuinely surprised as she brings things back in a full circle. "Kurow is indeed her brother. I didn't know he was spending time teaching her..." The girl slips the ribbon in her hand into her pocket. A reminder from another time, another life, she doesn't want to be asked about it right now.
"Kurow is a prodigy when it comes to combat. A dangerous kid. I... in the past I guess I've interferred with his plans before. He definitely doesn't seem to have forgotten about it," the girl sighs, closing her eyes as she leans her head against the trunk again.
Well. Of course! Kentou has a somewhat different perspective of who is 'extremely good'.
The boy is so rough around the edges that he doesn't even fully understand how incredibly brilliant the boy genius was who bested him and Hotaru in combat. Admittedly, Kentou spent most of that fight seeing double.. So he wasn't precisely sure what was going on. The sad fact is... That bean pole just didn't consider Kentou threatening enough to even bother attempting to avoid.
Hotaru's hasty admission very quickly dims the enthusiasm the boy had moments ago. His smile slipping away as his eyes descend, "O..Oh.." So Hotaru didn't defeat him per se. But at least, it seems, Hotaru -did- manage to fight that jerk off at any rate. Them being here relatively intact without anything stolen seems proof of that enough.
"Oh w..well..I.." At the quiet compliment Kentou lowers his head a little more, shadowing his gaze beneath his unruly bangs. A hand moving to his side in a pained reminder of that preliminary blow that nearly fell him by itself, "..I.. just.. Hope I .. didn't get in the way.."
Which, the youth begins to realize, perhaps he did. Maybe if he obeyed her as she frantically tried to tell him, Hotaru could have really cut loose and used her best techniques to defeat him! Maybe the only reason she got so hurt at all.. Was because she was so worried about protecting him that she couldn't even defend herself very well. Let alone fight off someone who Hotaru describes as a 'prodigy'.
Still, mulling this over the boy continues to rub his head.. slowly reopenning his eyes as he looks back to his teacher. Blinking once again as he catches the girl just putting something into her pocket..
..What was she playing with a moment ago..again? ... Hm..
"Y..Yurika? Oh.. Yeah.. Ah, yeah she really can fight for sure.. She.. ah.. she kinda thrashed me easy enough." Rubbing the back of his neck a bit sheepishly, "Well.. not quite as easily as that guy did.. Man." The boy shakes his head again, trying to shake the dizziness from his mind, "..What IS his problem anyway? I mean.. he sounded like he really knew you.."
"He likes to think so," Hotaru replies, her quiet smile slowly working it sway back into her expression as the moments pass, putting that battle behind them, giving her time to reflect on the ramifications. Now it's as if Kentou has been drawn into this nightmare of hers as well. Would Kurow leave him alone going forward? Or is the young teen irreversibly linked to her going forward? Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later... Kurow... Eiji... /her/... Will the aspiring young fighter end up in their sights, a target by association alone?
"I'm sorry I asked you to run," the girl says. Maybe not angry at all at his insistence that he stay and help her fight. "It wasn't fair." She leans her head to the side a little then shakes it slightly. "I'd have done the same thing in your shoes and I certainly can't ask you to do something I wouldn't be willing to do myself." The girl rests her hands against her knees and then, using the tree behind her for support, slowly pushes herself up to her feet.
It feels both good and painful to stand, the cuts in her legs and aches in her muscles protesting the endeavor, while her body appreciates the chance to stretch a little. "I feel you should know. I... well..." She frowns. How to phrase this. "Well, there are people out there like him that don't like me for some reason or another. And the simple truth is, by learning from me, you risk getting their attention as well... I should have warned you first. I... I guess I didn't really think about the ramifications."
She looks sheepish. She should have thought about this before ever agreeing to be his teacher. But now? All she can do is be honest and leave the responsability of deciding up to him.
At his Sensei's wry crack at that wonder-boy's supposed all-knowingness Kentou can't help but share a small snicker. The boy then takes this quiet moment to assess his own injuries for a moment. Wincing as he feels his side, trying to determine if the offended few ribs are broken or not.. Not that the youth would let such small matters interfere with training! Pulling himself up to his knees a moment to better turn towards Hotaru and get a better look at her injuries, frowning slowly as his eyes betray more details as the spinning blurriness begins to subside. Bloody gashes and cuts everywhere..
"Are.. are you sure you're okay.." Kentou murmurs quietly, eyes filled with concern as he slowly begins to crawl in her direction on all fours. Not trusting himself to get back up to his feet quite yet..
Pausing only as the girl issues that apology. His hand freezing in mid-walk as he looks to her, a bit puzzled that.. well.. She isn't furious for him not doing what she asked, when she asked. Swallowing once, "N..No its.."
Sinking slowly back to his knees as he folds his hands together on his lap. Eyes affixed to his knees a moment as he murmurs, "..I..I disobeyed you.. You told me to.. to do something when it.. it was really important and I didn't.. I.. I got in the way..." His voice stumbles about the admission.
As the girl somewhat belatedly mentions the small fact that she has a retinue of enemies, the boy's hands clench into fists. His lips pressing tightly together before quickly slapping his knuckles into his palm; sword in shealth.
"Sensei. I.. I will defend your honor. If.. If they're an enemy of yours then.." Mouth pressing into a tight frown, "..Then they're my enemy too."
If the girl is willing to take the risk of training a reckless and impulsive boy such as him, the least he can do is return the favor and take the risk of fighting anyone who would dare raise a hand against his chosen master!
To him, the world is so simple. So little complication. Did Hotaru herself ever see the world in such stark black and white? Perhaps this Kurow had business with Hotaru; perhaps he is indeed a mean son-of-a-gun who could maul Kentou a hundred times over for so much a lifting a hand against him. That doesn't matter to Kentou.
Only the truly innocent could be so uncomprehending of just how dark creatures such as Kurow can truly be.
The Kenpo 'master', if Kentou's opinion were to determine such things, frowns a little, her expression becoming a little stern. "It's true, you /did/ disobey me..." Her tone becoming quite serious as if she's contemplating what punishment befits such behavior... But it lasts only a moment before softening a little, the sternness of her demeanor bleeding away. "But you didn't get in the way. Quite the contrary."
She looks him over as he gives his word to defend her honor as her student in the face of whatever or whoever may seek to do her harm. "As long as you know what you're getting into..." she replies, sounding like she still isn't sure it's a good idea but also respecting his dedication enough to not waste time trying to disuade him. He's been warned after all, even if maybe he's a bit young to be making these kinds of decisions.
Hotaru folds her arms over her chest, leaning back against the tree as she looks at the boy, younger by a measureable amount but only slightly shorter than she is. Someday he refuse to flee when told and he might die because of it. Is she ready for that? Could she live with herself? Is this the same vexing, terrifying dilemma that all would be senseis must endure? Does Ryo know she would throw herself in harm's way to save him? Does Ryu know the same of Sakura? Is there anything she could say, /should/ say about not putting his life on the line for her? He might pick up on the perplexed, perhaps somewhat overwhelmed look she gives the eager young boy at that point, mouth set in a thin line of intense contemplation.
"Well then," she finally speaks up after the seconds drag out perhaps uncomfortably long. "If you're going to inherit my list of antagonists, I guess we better make sure you inheret what i know about fighting as well, ne?" That soft smile returns. A gentle expression, a hint of a secret amusement that goes unspoken - part mask to hide the doubts, part window that reveals her tender nature.
As Hotaru's tone darkens, reiterating what Kentou already fears, the boy's head droops a bit lower. Inadvertently in a kneeling position before her, the very image of supplication before her. The only real terror he feels at this moment.. Isn't for his safety.
The terror of her telling him to go away. That his complete ignoring of her order is grounds, by itself, for removing him from her consideration of further tutelidge. Before said tutelidge had even had a chance to begin, at that!
As such, as she then admits that he wasn't such the burden as he fears.. the tension visibly lessens from the boy's shoulders. The relief he demonstrates is palpable. Only then does he look up to her, daring to meet her gaze with his eager, gleaming eyes. Nodding swiftly at the contingency of walking into this with eyes open, "O..Of course Sensei!" Blurting out quickly.
After all, Kentou feels he's plenty old enough to be making these decisions! But then that is the ironic difference between youth and age.
Youth wants to make all the decisions without qualification, whereas age possesses enough qualification to know such decisions are often too heavy to bear making.
The boy doesn't even begin to consider that Hotaru's path is a dangerous one. If it was not for Hotaru, that monsterous robot would have killed him in the streets already. If it was not for Hotaru, that Mad Gear Shogun may have conscripted him to his gang or brutalized him far, far worse. If it was not for Hotaru, Kentou would have curled up in a ball and perhaps even have given up on his dream of honoring his family. All Kentou knows is that, if it was not for Hotaru's presense his life would certainly be -vastly- worse and almost certainly less safe.
In some ways, Kentou is blind to Hotaru's inner turmoil. Unable to easily see beyond his own circumstances to understand just how unworthy she feels to teach him. Mostly because he tries so hard to ignore how unworthy he feels to be taught by her. Between the opposite polarities of their fears, there is a certain equilibrium that.. one day.. they may both find to be intensely ironic.
"Y..Yes Sensei!" Kentou blurts out quickly in response to her proclaimation! Quickly beginning to hop up to his feet.. only to stumble back to the grass in a little bit of a heap. Argh! His back.. That axe kick did a number on him in the end there. @.x "..J..Just.. Give me one.. one second here.. ergh.."
"First lesson is being aware of our body's condition well enough to know when not to aggrivate it and make it worse." comes the lecturing tone, Hotaru pushing herself free from the tree to stand upright now. For all she went through, for all the pain she must be feeling, she sure puts on a good show of hiding it. Her hands drop to her waist, her elbows out at her sides as she grins at the stumbled boy.
"After all, that'll just slow down training," she continues with a shake of her head, her bangs flopping down over her forehead some. "Right now," she pauses, raising one hand from her side, finger upright as if about to impart a very vital piece of information... "I think we should check into some of those provisions you so prudently brought along," she finishes with a reference to the duffle bag he arrived with, her left hand moving from her waist to rest against her stomach, the grin that crosses her features just shy of being sheepish. "I'm famished."
She moves her raised right hand to her mouth, and pursing her lips together, releases a brief, high pitched whistle, alomost singsongy in nature. A number of dry leaves fall from the tree over her head before Itokatsu literally dive bombs down onto the girl's shoulder, seeming to catch her by surprise. Laughing lightly, she lifts her left hand to pat the yellow furred creature on the top of the head. "There you are silly..."
She looks at Kentou again, her eyes betraying some of the pride she already has in the kid. He's going to be a good student, she thinks. She just needs to make sure to be a good teacher in return.
Erph.
The boy slowly pushes himself up from his collapsed sprawl just enough for him to spit out a few blades of grass. His braids flopped over his shoulders and trailing along the greenery before him as he slowly looks back up to the looming Hotaru. His hapless expression hastening something of a sheepish smile as he stammers, "Y..Yes Sensei.." Grinning through a wince.
Mmm.. food does sound good about now! Nothing like a little snack break before a serious workout!
Ignoring that.. slight case of buttkicking they recieved from that bean pole earlier.
At Itokatsu's dramatic return, the boy frumps a bit murmuring, "..Showoff.." Clearly it seems he has serious competition for the prestigeous position of Teacher's Pet in this class.
But Kentou will do his best, no matter what!
Log created on 00:51:20 10/02/2007 by Kentou, and last modified on 02:27:53 10/03/2007.