Copyright 2001 by Brian Randall.
The day started as most days had, light seeping in through the
windows, and alerting him that it was time to awaken. It wasn't
that he was a light sleeper, as much as the fact that he was restless.
He came home late, left early, and spent as little time in dealing
with his father as he could manage.
The one friend he had would meet him at the gate of the school
on the days he chose to attend, and then stand together and watch
the other students as they entered.
His name was Gen'e Kenkyou. He was sixteen years old, nearly seventeen,
with his hair in unruly short spikes, slicked back in defiance of
tradition. His stocky frame was something less than burly, but still
very well muscled. Scorning the uniform of the school, he was dressed
in loose fitting street-clothes. A pair of baggy white canvas pants,
and a jacket, though beneath that he wore nothing more than a strip
of cloth wrapped over his abdomen, like a bandage.
He had seen the style in a movie, and knew that it was more appropriate
for a bygone era, but people who saw him approaching generally took
it to mean that he was strong enough to dress as he pleased, and
not care what other people thought. Which worked, in the end, and
made him look all the more imposing. He was tallish, if not truly
tall, but his build and presence allowed him to tower over people
like a small giant.
Sighing softly, he slumped back against a concrete wall near the
sign that said, 'Hikami Gakuen Senior High School.' The ground beneath
his feet was covered with sparse growths of grass, gone brittle
and yellow for the season, shielded from most of the rains by the
very wall he was leaning against. His eyes wandered down the street,
flicking across the assorted students in uniform, the one small
copse of trees across the street, and further up the hill, towards
the neighborhood where his house sat.
A vicious yawn was knuckled back, and he forced himself to pay
attention to his companion, whose perpetual speech had been tuned
out momentarily. Kanten Kayuu, a scrawny and somewhat gangly boy.
He might have been taller than Kenkyou, if he were to strand up
straight, but Kenkyou was uncertain, and didn't really care to ask.
He nodded after concluding some point of speech that Kenkyou hadn't
really listened to, and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of
his nose in an authoritarian manner. "Don't you agree?"
he asked suddenly.
Kenkyou grunted in a noncommittal manner, not really caring. Kayuu
seemed to not care much either, turning to peer at the groups of
students drifting past along with Kenkyou. "We're probably
going to be late to class if we don't hurry," Kayuu noted.
Snorting, Kenkyou shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Anyway, what do you want to do after school?"
Kenkyou frowned, considering, then shrugged. He would decide when
class got out.
Kayuu rolled his eyes. "You can never decide," he muttered.
"Unless it's to go to the Meiji Restoration Museum."
The larger boy sighed at that. He enjoyed the history, even if
he couldn't quite understand his father's idea of what a code of
honor should be. It took him to a time where men were respected
for strength, for bravery… for being heroes, he supposed. "They're
closed Tuesdays," he told Kayuu.
Kayuu sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah…" The two
fell into a rare companionable silence, normal for Kenkyou, but
not the typically very talkative Kayuu.
The crowds of students thinned, the few students that were still
passing coming in all out runs to catch the gate before the bell
rang. Kenkyou sighed, and lurched away from the wall, shambling
forward slowly to get to class.
From behind him, he heard frantically tramping feet, and a shrill
cry of, "I'm going to be late! I'm going to be late! Excuse
me!" He felt something slam into his back -- heavily, and frowned
darkly. Turning slowly, for maximum effect, he saw a girl, recoiling
from the collision with him. Her schoolbag dropped, and her notes
and homework scattered everywhere. His frown faded as she wobbled
unsteadily for a moment, then fell straight down onto her rump,
sniffling. "I'm going to be late!" she wailed.
Any anger that had built up washed away -- the girl had just made
a mistake. A simply, clumsy mistake. And to judge by the way she
was breathing, the flush on her face, and the tired look about her
eyes, wasn't a very good runner, anyway. And the collision; that
was a good clue, too.
Sighing, he knelt, swiftly gathering her papers, and handing them
to her. Her tears stopped, and she blinked at them in surprise,
looking up at him curiously. Her face was petite, and pale, like
a china doll with a blush. Long, straight, black hair flowed down
her back, tied neatly into a pair of braids. Her wide, innocent
eyes still shimmered from the tears she had shed, making her look
vulnerable.
Kenkyou hid a frown as she demurely looked away, putting her notes
and books back in her bag. "Th… thank you," she managed,
still staring at the ground. He had never really noticed people
in general before; none of them seemed to stand out, except Kayuu.
He extended a hand towards her, and she blinked in confusion before
placing her hand in his, confused. Standing swiftly, he lifted her
to her feet with a minimum of effort, leaving her flustered and
wide-eyed. He smirked, shrugging wordlessly.
"Th… thank you again," she stammered, eyes frantically
darting to the ground again. "I… I need to get to class,"
she began, nervously. He nodded, gesturing to the school, and she
trotted towards the still open gates, casting backward glances towards
him occasionally.
"Hmm," Kenkyou mused.
Kayuu raised an eyebrow. "What was that all about?" he
asked.
Saika bowed her head, staring at her shoes intently, as the teacher
lectured her, standing before the class, "Nakamura-san, the
school has a very strict policy about tardiness, and as your sensei,
I can not allow--"
He cut off, and the very quiet whispers from the back of the room
fell silent, as the door opened, painfully slowly, drawing the attention
of everyone in the classroom instantly. It could not have been more
disruptive if the hinges had been rusty, squealing affairs, and
the person opening the door were to shout defiantly about his lateness.
But no, he let his actions speak for him, taking a full 6 ticks
of the second-hand on the clock over the door to open it, and another
three to stride into the room. He held the door open a moment, allowing
someone to scurry in behind him, but whoever it was, attention was
riveted on the boy, dressed as he was, not in uniform at all. He
swiveled his head around slowly, carefully.
Every movement the boy made seemed designed to show how careful
and cautious he was, suggesting that he was even larger and more
powerful than he looked. Saika felt her knees wobble uncertainly.
He was the same boy she had run into earlier that morning, and he
had seemed so much less… imposing, then. She swallowed, feeling
somehow that she was looking up at him, and up, and up, and up.
And yet, when she tried to pretend he wasn't so imposing, he was
a bit taller than she was, as much as his presence made it seem.
The teacher flicked his gaze across the students for a moment,
then to the boy. "Nice of you to join us today, Gen'e-san,"
he muttered.
Saika stared at the boy. Gen'e was his name? Gen'e just nodded
once, not even looking at the teacher, and plodded to an empty desk,
where he sat down, hunching over as though he had a hard time fitting
in the thing.
Thoroughly flustered, the teacher grumbled, "Take your seat,
Nakamura-san."
Saika bowed her head, saying, "Yes, Sensei!" unsteadily.
Before she took her seat, she glanced back at Gen'e uncertainly.
Who was that boy? How did he change so much from before the class?
It made no sense… She sighed brokenly, fishing her homework from
her bag. She would just have to ask him later.
The lunch bell rang loudly, startling the teacher out of his lecture.
He blinked at the clock for a moment, frowning, then shrugged, and
folded up his notes and books, clearing out of the room.
Once the teacher was gone, all pretences of study were abandoned,
and the students turned to their banter, friendly jibes, and whispered
gossip. Saika didn't know the other students well enough to approach
any of them, though she was more than a little hurt that none of
them thought it was worth their time to approach her, either.
She turned in her seat to look at the imposing boy, but he was
reclining in his chair, arms crossed behind his head, as though
he couldn't care less what other people thought. Saika smiled at
that, thinking it must be a wonderful thing to know what you were
supposed to do in a social situation, or better, not need to even
worry about it. If only she could be as self-assured as he could.
Gathering her courage, and remembering that she owed him an apology
for the morning anyway, she approached him nervously. "Excuse
me," she said softly, when he made no move to react, his eyes
closed. One eye opened lazily, studying her for a moment, then the
other, and both blinked at her.
He remained silent, and she wondered if she were doing something
wrong. "I, um, that is, Gen'e-san, I wanted to apologize."
Again, his eyes blinked, and he shrugged disinterestedly, as though
the matter meant nothing to him. Swallowing nervously, she bowed
to him, eyes clenched shut. "I'm sorry, Gen'e-san! Please forgive
me."
There was an extended moment of silence, while she struggled with
herself. If only she understood better, and knew how people were
supposed to react. But then, the longer she thought about it, the
more she came to think that he wasn't exactly a 'normal' person.
She straightened suddenly, at a careful touch on her shoulder. Gen'e
lowered his hand, shaking his head and smirking. "It's okay,"
he said after a moment. "Just be careful."
Nodding, she stepped away, turning too quickly, and caught the
edge of her skirt on the hook built-into the desks for hanging bags.
Gen'e had no bag, so her hem caught, sending her sprawling across
the floor, but leaving her skirt thankfully intact. The laughter
of the class rang out, sending waves of humiliation crashing through
her. She looked up fearfully at Gen'e, to see if he was laughing
at her, but he wasn't; he was simply looking at her with an expression
of confusion on his face.
Saika sniffled, trying to resist breaking into tears -- she had
made another mistake, and people were laughing at her again! She
simply couldn't understand how she was supposed to act, what she
was supposed to do, and how she should behave, and her natural clumsiness
didn't help matters at all.
Gen'e cleared his throat loudly, once, and glared around the classroom.
The laughter stopped instantly.
Saika climbed to her feet slowly, her face red with embarrassment,
but the students were quiet, no longer laughing at her. She glanced
back at him again, as he watched her, curiously, not contemptuously,
as the other students sometimes did, and completely without pity
in his gaze. Was that respect? She wished she could be sure, but
her heart skipped a beat when she thought about it. 'Th… thank
you, Gen'e-san."
He just nodded again, settling back and closing his eyes.
Kayuu trundled down the street, while Kenkyou followed just behind
him, strolling in a long, rolling gait. He had been quiet for a
while, thinking about the day. Kenkyou didn't talk to people much
at all, except when there was a fight, and to women almost never.
That he had deigned to speak with a mere schoolgirl daunted Kayuu.
He had always thought that he was the only one who could speak to
Kenkyou, except maybe his father. And Kenkyou seldom listened when
his father spoke, as far as Kayuu knew.
Cocking his head to one side, he eyed his friend, ambling along,
stopping at the street corner to wait for the light to change. Sighing
uneasily, and trying not to stare at Kenkyou too long, he turned
his attention to the area. The municipal library was across the
street, rows of high cylinders gleaming in the sunlight. Except
that they were closed on the same days as the Meiji Restoration
Museum.
Kayuu grimaced. What was that girl to Kenkyou, anyway? Probably
nothing, but at the same time, she could be a risk. What if she
distracted him, seduced him away? Kayuu shivered at the thought.
He had never considered it before, and he wasn't entirely prepared
to deal with the thought, but… did the idea of losing Kenkyou
mean that much to him? He swallowed suddenly, stuck by the idea,
and its implications. Time to think of that later, or better yet,
not at all. "So," he began. "Want to go to the park
today?"
'The park' was a short distance away, five minutes by bus, a little
longer by foot. Kenkyou seemed to disdain the bus, though Kayuu
was reasonably sure that Kenkyou had money enough, and more. He
simply preferred the activity of walking. Or any exercise, probably.
Kenkyou paused at the edge of the park, which, more than his home,
he considered to be 'his'. His home was where his father lived,
and where Kenkyou slept, some days ate. The park was where Kenkyou
practiced, sat among the trees, listened to Kayuu, and watched the
people. Some nights in the summer he would even sleep in the park,
partially to irritate his father, but mostly because he enjoyed
the greenery much more than the dead grass near his school.
On the days when he skipped class, he would loiter in the park,
or the museum. The museum staff knew him well enough that they no
longer had a guard follow him to make sure he wouldn't steal or
break things. It was also one of the few places where he felt he
could truly relax.
Which was why he found the presence of three ruffians squatting
on what was known among gangs and gang-wannabes as, 'his territory,'
an annoyance. Two shorter boys, and one taller boy with the standard
leather jacket, outrageous Jerry-curl slicked and oiled to perfection.
The taller one would be their leader, obviously.
Kayuu simply melted back into the scrub bushes, where there were
popular hiding places for the more ecchi-minded individuals stalked
young lovers. Much as Kenkyou had an ability to make himself be
seen, Kayuu had a knack for the opposite. The toughs looked up from
where they were tossing a pair of dice, standing as Kenkyou approached.
Kenkyou said nothing, merely crossing his arms over his chest dourly.
The representative of the group swaggered towards Kenkyou, and
placed his hands on his hips, taking a wide stance. "Who do
you think you are?" he asked. Jerking a thumb towards himself,
he declared, "We're the Tetsujin Gurentai." His gaze flickered
across Kenkyou's open jacket, then upwards, to his impassive face.
"Are you here to join us?"
Smiling slowly, Kenkyou cocked his head to one side, as though
her were considering. After waiting long enough for the leader of
the Tetsujin Gurentai to shift his feet anxiously, he straightened,
looking him evenly in the eye. "No," he stated gravely.
"This is my turf. And I think I want you to leave."
The boy stepped back, grimacing. "Fine. Boys, deal with him."
He raised his chin, smirking, and narrowing his eyes. "This
idiot is beneath the Tetsujin Kumichou's time."
Kenkyou raised an eyebrow, as he shifted his stance, dropping one
hand to his chest, palm upwards, and the other near his chin, either
able to move in a great defensive range. His feet were placed carefully,
lowering his center of gravity and making him nearly impossible
to topple. Kumichou? The boy considered himself to be on a level
with the yakuza?
The pair of thugs glanced at each other, then shrugged, and charged
at once. Kenkyou swiveled effortlessly past the first, swinging
his arm downward sharply and slamming it into the back of the first
charging thug. He was sent sprawling on the ground, grunting loudly,
only to be muffled as his mouth was filled with lawn and dirt.
The second thug backpedaled, reconsidering, and danced around Kenkyou
cautiously, as the larger boy slowly, dramatically, raised his arm
to its previous position, not even deigning to look at the fallen
thug. His foot lashed out suddenly at Kenkyou's, and Kenkyou elected
to forgo dodging, allowing the thug to crack his foot sharply against
the much more solid boy's braced leg.
He danced back, hobbling and in pain, and Kenkyou strode forward,
shoving him with a single decisive palm strike that knocked him
back a full meter into the scrub bushes. He choked and gasped, the
wind knocked out of him, and Kenkyou again ignored him, turning
to look as someone shouted, "Gen'e-san! Look out!"
Saika had gotten lost on her way home again, woefully unfamiliar
with the bus routes, and finally spotted a familiar landmark after
nearly an hour of being to embarrassed to tell the driver. She had
disembarked, feigning more confidence than she felt. But she wouldn't
let it get her down, even if it _was_ a setback, and a long walk,
and she wasn't very well equipped for long walks, as easily as she
tired, and as often as she fell over.
She had stopped in a park to catch her breath for a moment, when
she heard the sounds of a scuffle -- and further cautious investigation
showed the boy, Gen'e, being attacked by a trio of ruffians. Her
hands had flown to her mouth, and her eyes had widened instantly.
She had never seen anything truly violent, not even on television,
and the event shocked her to no end.
But Gen'e was able to effortlessly knock two of the boys to the
ground, not watching the third. When she saw the glint of metal,
cold and sharp, her first thought was of the needles that the doctors
had always inflicted upon her in her illness, and her momentary
dumbness was erased, "Gen'e-san! Look out!"
He jerked around to look at her, surprised, and the other boy lashed
out with the glinting bit of steel, scoring a hit across Gen'e's
face. The larger boy spun instantly, seeming less to move, and more
to simply have changed from one position to the other, with no transition.
One hand wrapped tightly about his assailant's wrist, the one bearing
the steel, and tightened until Saika could hear the alarming creak
of grating bone even from where she stood. The assailant loosed
a muted whimper, and dropped the weapon.
Gen'e spun his arm, launching the attacker into a forced somersault,
slamming him forcefully into the ground, and pinning him there with
his knee. Gen'e leaned close to the other boy, breathing heavily,
and allowing a few stray droplets of blood to fall from his face
onto the attacker's. In a deep, angry, grating tone, he announced,
"This is my turf. Stay away."
Not yet done, he stood, gathering the weapon -- a box-cutter, Saika
recognized dimly, distantly, as the entire scene began to become
diffuse and unreal to her. He sheathed the blade carefully, and
slowly, deliberately, folded the weapon in half with both hands,
throwing it at his attacker's feet disdainfully. "Never try
that again."
Finished with the gang for the time, Gen'e turned towards her,
and walked forwards purposefully, not quickly, but purposefully,
and she was able to see the gash across his face, running from below
one eye for a few centimeters, towards his jaw. Thick, red blood
oozed from it slowly, and Saika was aware of her world growing dark,
as she fainted.
Kenkyou grimaced, as the girl collapsed, eyes rolling into the
back of her head. He managed to reach her in time to keep her from
landing roughly, and laid her carefully on the ground near her book
bag, as Kayuu wormed his way free of the underbrush. "What's
she doing here?" Kayuu asked, confused.
Shrugging in response, Kenkyou turned to watch the fallen thugs
collect themselves and hobble away. Hopefully never to return. He
glowered at them when they looked back, not willing to let them
see him tending his cut. Once they had vanished, he unwound a long
section of the bindings he habitually wore, and pressed them against
the wound. Kayuu winced at the blood. "Are you okay, Kenkyou?"
Kenkyou waved a hand dismissively, pointing to the girl as she
roused herself. Nakamura, if he remembered correctly. She sat up
slowly, paling at the sight of Kenkyou's blood, but he waved a hand
dismissively. "I've had worse," he rumbled softly, crouching
to inspect her and make sure she wasn't hurt.
Nakamura swallowed nervously. "What… what happened?"
Kenkyou raised his eyebrows slowly. Was she that naive? He shrugged,
standing, and jerked his head to Kayuu.
Once prompted, Kayuu explained the situation, "Oh, well, you
see, this park is Kenkyou's turf, and they thought they could move
in on it. We were just defending our territory."
Kenkyou glanced at Kayuu, saying nothing. He had done all the work,
not Kayuu, but then… they were friends, after all. Not really
a gang, just friends. Nakamura's eyes widened regardless. "You're
in a gang?" she squeaked worriedly, snatching up her bag and
clutching it to her chest like a shield.
Snorting, Kenkyou shook his head, extending a hand towards the
girl again. She stared between it and his face worriedly, like a
wild animal being offered food. Nervously, as though she was afraid
that he'd take the hand away, she reached out to grasp his hand.
His hand nearly completely engulfed hers, and he gave a gentle but
steady pull, bringing Nakamura to her feet. "Better?"
he asked.
She nodded wordlessly, just staring at him in a profound mix of
respect and confusion, and a little fear, as well.
Kenkyou nodded at Kayuu. "Let's walk her home."
Kayuu grimaced, but nodded, muttering, "Yeah, those Tetsujin
might be around. This is bad area, you know." He waggled a
finger at Kayuu warningly, "You shouldn't come here if you
can help it."
Kenkyou rolled his eyes silently. The area was not bad at all;
mothers brought their children to the park to play most days. Perhaps
Kayuu was simply trying to put up a front of false bravado to impress
the girl, or something. He dismissed it, gesturing that Nakamura
should lead the way.
Face flushed, she nodded, and began walking.
Saika resisted the urge to stare at Gen'e. Whoever he was, he seemed
largely unconcerned with the wound on his face, though he kept the
cloth pressed against the wound on his face. What kind of person
was he, she wondered, to fight so roughly, and be so nice?
Books and television had taught her that people who were strong
like that were usually bullies, or worse. And yet he was offering
to walk her home, making sure she was safe. She was prone to fainting
and dizzy spells, so Gen'e's offer meant a lot to her. It meant
that she didn't have to worry about collapsing on the street and
being left there, or worse.
She shivered at that thought, reminded of the ruffians that she
was supposed to know of, and the one that she did. He seemed vastly
different from anything she had read about. Maybe… maybe he would
be her friend. A hopeful smile bloomed on Saika's face at that thought.
When they reached the door to her home, Gen'e jerked his head in
a nod, and turned to walk elsewhere. She grabbed his elbow, quickly
dropping it when he spun to face her. "Um… Gen'e-san… thank
you. Thank you for walking me home," she managed, not tripping
over any of the words.
He smiled crookedly, somewhat amused, and winced as something in
his face pulled, aggravating his cut. "No problem," he
said, his smaller friend nodding quickly.
He began to turn away again, and she stopped him, trying to keep
the pleading out of her voice. "Um," she began again.
"Gen'e-san… I hope… I hope that we can… we can be friends,"
she stuttered out, staring at her feet and blushing violently. "If,
that is… um… you don't mind…"
She heard a snort, though she couldn't see his face, and his rumbling
voice answered, "Sure thing. I'll you at school tomorrow."
Raising her head, she watched him march away, his friend dogging
his heels and talking quietly. "Wow," she whispered. "Gen'e-san
is so nice…"
Kenkyou parted ways with Kayuu at the base of the hill that Kenkyou's
father's house lay atop. He trudged up the hill slowly, thinking
of medical supplies and the necessity of cleaning his wound before
much longer. He would need something to clean it with, and then
a bandage. Sighing, he shook his head, one hand still clapped to
the side of his face.
At least the sight hadn't scared off the girl, even though she
had fainted the first time she saw blood. His thoughts took a different
shift after that. The girl. She wanted to be a friend, too. Kenkyou
hadn't had many friends, excepting Kayuu.
What did one do with girls as friends? He grimaced, considering,
and pulled his hand away from his face, taking the bloodied bandages
as well. Gentle prodding showed that the wound had at least stopped
bleeding. Shrugging, he tossed the soiled rag into a trashcan. The
museum, he supposed, and then, hanging out, and talking. Or listen
to Kayuu, more often than not.
He shook his head, stopping at the top of the hill, to look at
the peak of Sakurajima, visible across the bay from the road. The
volcano had been dormant for years, but still looked impressive.
Kenkyou crossed his arms over his chest, watching the ocean in the
distance, though the harbor was hidden behind many of the low buildings
in the downtown area. His school was visible at the bottom of the
hill, and Saika's house wasn't terribly far away, either.
Nor was Kayuu's, for that matter. Taking a deep breath, he turned
away, marching resolutely towards his father's house. There would
doubtless by a confrontation once he arrived, but there wasn't really
much choice in the matter.
The door was unlocked when he got there, and he kicked his shoes
off in the entryway, tromping towards the bathroom. There was another
first-aid kit in the dojo, which sat behind the house, but Kenkyou
respected his father enough to not drag himself in, bloody and scarred,
while his father was trying to teach a class.
He reached the bathroom without event, repeated shouts of, "Hi-YAH!
Hi-YAH!" reaching him from the dojo. Shrugging, he grabbed
a cloth and set about the task of cleaning the wound, first scrubbing
it cautiously with soap, then rinsing the soap out, and finally,
finding a bandage to cover it. Reopened from the scrubbing, the
wound quickly bled enough to redden the square of gauze.
Dismissing it for the time, Kenkyou turned around, striding towards
his room, only to find his father awaiting him in the hall. The
elder Gen'e took only a moment to observe his son before making
a wordless gesture. One that said, "Follow me."
Kenkyou did so, grimacing. He hated being lectured by his father,
more so when he knew he deserved it. And Kenkyou did know better
than to get involved in fights like the one he had. His father walked
into the dojo, the last of the students already having departed,
and turned to face him.
"Kenkyou," he said, gesturing to the floor, and seating
himself. "Sit, Son, and let us talk."
Sour expression revealing his opinion of the affair, Kenkyou sank
to a sitting position.
"My boy…" His father looked distant, seeing something
far off in his mind's eye. "My boy, do you remember your first
day of school?"
He shook his head, silently and sullenly.
"Ah," the elder Gen'e sighed. "That's too bad. I
remember it clearly." He paused, collecting his thoughts momentarily.
"You came home late, because you had gotten lost, and you had
a black eye. I remember that. Mmm…" He shook his head, smiling
fondly at the memory. "Do you remember what I asked you when
you got home?"
"I remember," Kenkyou said, nodding. "You asked
me that question every day I went to school…" he trailed
off, leaving the rest unsaid. Because he had stopped going to school
regularly. He attended when it suited him, and did well enough on
tests that he would probably pass. But when he had stopped going
to school, or even coming home every day, Kenji had stopped asking
his son what he had learned.
"That's right, Son… now tell me, what did you learn today?"
Kenkyou shrugged uncomfortably. "How to solve quadratic trinomials.
Why?"
Kenji's smile faded, and he shook his head. "Try again, Kenkyou."
He grimaced, rubbing irritably at the bandage on his cheek. What
had he learned today? "I learned…" he trailed off, then
shrugged. "I learned about getting distracted, I guess. And
that I probably shouldn't. Is that good enough?"
Kenji raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What did you learn about fighting,
Kenkyou? How did you get hurt?"
Grumbling, Kenkyou relayed the story as it happened, not bothering
to explain that he was merely defending his territory, but that
there had been a fight, and what had happened. And then, even though
he didn't understand why, he told about walking Saika home. Done,
and unused to speaking so much, he crossed his arms over his chest
defiantly, awaiting his father's judgment.
Kenji was silent for a very long moment. The moment stretched,
a slight breeze rustling leaves past the dojo's entrance. "Very
well," he said after Kenkyou began to wonder if he had made
a mistake. "I think you've learned something worthwhile today,
Son." Kenji rose slowly, sighing.
Kenkyou cringed, awaiting the inevitable. Without fail, when he
had angered his father, Kenji would say, "Apologize to your
mother," and leave him in the shrine to do just that. Even
if she weren't alive, he felt guilty when he had to apologize for
his misdeeds.
But the words didn't come, until Kenji was at the entrance to the
dojo. "Kenkyou… let's eat, and worry about the rest later."
After another quiet moment, Kenji added, "And… tell your
mother that your father is proud of you when you talk to her tonight."
End, episode One.
Author's notes: The Fifth section of the Get Your Own Damn Idea!
project, "Frappe!" (found in part one).
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