Chapter Fourteen

The next day, as I ate breakfast with the others, Shigehito and Suki walked up and passed a packet of food to each of us. I blinked.

“We’re going to my ancestral home.” said Suki. “It’s not far from here, and I got permission from Yuki. Shigehito’s coming with us. Yuki, Miharu and Masato have to report to the resistance anyway, so this is a good time to kill two birds with one stone.”

I spoke up. “No offense, Suki, but I was under the impression that training us was kinda important. Why’re we going to your home?”

“Well, in my ancestral home, there’s a vault that only a member of my family can open. Inside, there is a collection of Fumetsu weapons.”

Fumetsu? Doesn't that mean, indestructible? Indestructible weapons?

Koike asked the question before I could. “Fumetsu weapons? Why would we need indestructible weapons? Our own weapons have served well enough.”

“Yea, and I don’t even use weapons.” I said.

Shigehito spoke up. “Fumetsu weapons are incredibly old. All of them were forged from an unknown metal over a thousand years ago. Most of them have been lost. There are only a handful left, and they are prized above all else. They are valuable, because in a fight between two fully developed Ningenbanare, or a fight between strong Tenma, only Fumetsu weapons can withstand the force. Ordinary weapons will shatter. Because of this, the Fumetsu weapons in Suki’s home are extremely valuable. The only reason we’ve waited for so long to take them was because there was no way the weapons could be stolen. Not from that vault.”

With that, he turned and walked away. We filled our water canteens, and hurried to catch up. Walking beside

Suki, I asked her. “Why does your home have Fumetsu weapons? From the way Shigehito was speaking, they seem quite rare.”

She smiled sadly. “My clan, was one of the greatest clans in this land. We were famous for our fighting strength and for our skill at weapon forging. The lands you see around you used to be under the rule of my family. We were responsible for its protection, and we protected it well. Under our rule, the land prospered.”

“What happened?”

Her smile faded. “The Mugoi came. My entire clan rode out to meet them in battle. As the youngest child in my clan, I was left behind. My brother, only two years older than me, rode out with the others. My clan, along with the other ruling clans from the other states, faced them on the battlefield. However, our forces were composed mainly of humans, and a few Ningenbanare. Their forces were almost completely Tenma. Even though we outnumbered them, we were slaughtered. As far as I know, I am the last of my clan.”

I didn’t know what to say. In the end, I just put my hand on her shoulder, and whispered. “I’m sorry.”

She squeezed my hand, and continued her story.

“Yuki was the one who came to my home, and asked me to join the resistance. The family vault will only open to those of my family that are above sixteen years of age. At the time, I was only fifteen. Thankfully, before my mother rode out to war, she opened the vault, and gave me a scroll. Inside the scroll, was everything I needed to continue my training by myself. But now, I’ve learned everything I could from that scroll. And I just passed my sixteenth birthday. It is time to continue my training.”

“So, it’s not just weapons inside that vault?”

“No. There are also scrolls, written by the members of my family. In those scrolls, are the techniques and katas of every martial art practiced by the members of my clan.. From unarmed fighting styles to weapons styles, everything is there. My clan used to pride itself on the varied styles in the clan. We used to have annual tournaments. Poor uncle Genryu always said he’d win the tournament, but he never did.”

I could hear the amusement in her voice.

‘What style did he practice?”

She actually giggled a little.

“Drunken Fist. But since alcohol is prohibited to all the participants of the tournament…”

I blinked, and chuckled.

“Poor guy.”

After an hour of brisk walking, we’d came to a hill. Shigehito turned to Suki. She walked forward a little.

“My clan estate is just over this hill.”

She walked forward. I started to follow her, but Shigehito stopped me. I looked at him quizzically.

“This is her first time home in a year. Give her some time to remember her family.”

I watched as she climbed the hill. At the top, she stopped, and stood there a while. Then she suddenly ran forward.

“Suki? Suki!” I called after her. Shigehito let me go, and I ran after her. I was vaguely aware of the others following me.

We reached the top of the hill. I froze in shock.

I guess, news about the vault of Fumetsu weapons got out, and reached the wrong ears.

The only word that could describe it was destruction. Someone had been here, probably the Mugoi, and they hadn’t given up on the Fumetsu weapons easily. From the debris lying around, I guessed that a pretty big house had once stood there. There was nothing left, however. It looked like the Mugoi had torn the house apart, then set fire to it. The only thing left standing was a small shrine in the center of all the debris and ash. I spotted Suki kneeling among the ashes, near a burned out tree trunk that must’ve been huge before it burned. I stopped a few steps from her. I could see her shoulders shaking, even though there was no sound. Not knowing what else to do, I reached out, and pulled her close to me. She resisted for a minute, then turned and buried her face in my chest. I stroked her hair, and whispered reassuringly in her ear. Emi came over. Emi and Suki had gotten pretty close lately. Emi leaned in and hugged Suki too. We stayed like that for awhile. Then Suki whispered “Thank you.” and pushed us away gently.

She stood up, and gestured toward the shrine. “The entrance to the vault is that way.”

As we went closer, I saw that I was wrong. It wasn’t a shrine. Or, at least, it wasn’t a statue of a god in there. It was a statue of a man, a katana in one hand, and a blacksmiths hammer in the other.

At the statue, Suki bowed once, then pulled her sword out, and cut her palm. She walked forward, and let the blood drip onto the base of the statue. The statue rumbled, then a trapdoor opened, revealing a staircase inside. Asuka quickly stopped the bleeding with some herbs. Suki nodded her thanks, and continued inside. We followed her, and found ourselves in a large room, with racks of weapons on one side, and shelves of scrolls on the other. Shigehito was the last to come in. He closed the trapdoor behind him. Suki turned around, and smiled slightly, though it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Please, choose whatever weapon you want.” Then she went towards the shelves.

Hino smiled, and made a beeline for the weapons racks. After a while, the others followed, except Asuka. She looked at me. I sighed.

“Keep Suki company for me, would ya?”

She smiled. “Sure”

I gestured at the door. “Shigehito and I will make sure we don’t get unwanted visitors.”

I leaned against the wall, and closed my eyes. “You should go pick out a weapon for yourself.”

I sighed. “We’ve gone over this. You don’t use a weapon, and neither will I.”

“As it is now, you are far weaker than Koike and Emi. You need a weapon. Or at least something that will let you block blades without getting cut. Go take a look around. Maybe you’ll find something you like.”

I sighed again. “Fine, fine.”

I walked among the weapons racks, and I saw many weapons, but I saw none that would suit me. Then I turned a corner, and right there, in an alcove, was a weapon that was unique. It was made of six parts. There were a pair of gauntlets that were meant to cover the forearms, and they had a piece of metal that was designed to cover the back of the hand, and could slide back into the main body to provide better flexibility of the wrist. There were also a pair of shin guards, with a similar design, so they could cover my feet and toes without obstructing my movements. Finally, there were a pair of what can only be called knuckleblades. They were similar to the spiked knuckles I had at home, but there was a long, dangerous looking blade extending from one end. The blade was about the length of a dagger. Each knuckleblade had straps that kept the knuckleblades wrapped securely in my palms, so I could open and close my hands. Also, there was a harness that was designed to hold the knuckleblades. The metal was polished, with silver highlights. It was an elegant and dangerous looking weapon.

Nice.

A crash sounded, in the direction of the entrance. Shigehito bellowed. “We’ve got company!”

I ran towards the entrance. By the time I’d got there, the others were already there. I hadn’t realized how far into the vault I’d wandered. I looked around. Suki wasn’t there.

“Where’s Suki?”

Asuka spoke up. “She needs more time to gather the scrolls she needs.” We looked at Shigehito. He nodded grimly.

“Tell her to hurry up.”

“Shigehito, why couldn’t you sense the Mugoi coming?” I asked.

He shook his head. “It seems this chamber blocks my senses.”

“That means they don’t know we’re here, right?”

He shook his head. “I opened the door when the crash sounded. At that moment, I sensed a few Ningenbanare. That means they sensed me, too. Don’t worry though, I only sensed one powerful one. I’ll handle that one, and you guys clean up. There aren’t any Tenma to worry about either.”

I strapped the armor onto my arms and legs. Koike whistled when he saw the armor.

“Damn, man. That looks cool. Not as cool as mine though.” He hefted a pair of nunchaku. It was black, with a golden dragon etched on both sides. Beside him, Ralph held up a pair of elegant swords that, even to my untrained eye, was obviously finely made. Emi held a metallic staff with a white dragon wrapped around it. Hino held a staff that had a blade at each end. Bruno brandished a broadsword that had gold stripes curling around the blade.

We turned at the sound of footsteps. Suki and Asuka rounded a corner, coming from the weapons section of the room.

“I thought you were getting scrolls?”

“We were, but I also had to get this.”

Suki held up the katana she had been carrying. The sheath was crimson, and the handle was a darker red. She unsheathed the blade. It was the same color as the sheath, and beautifully made.

“This, is Shinku. It is a legendary blade. It was last wielded by my great-grandfather, and has only been used when the clan is in great danger.”

The corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

“Being the last of my clan, I think this qualifies as a time of great danger.”

She pointed at Koike. “That, is Kuroi.” She pointed at Ralph. “That, is Futago.” She pointed at Emi. “That, is Shapeshifter. As the name implies, it can turn into any weapon you like, within reason. It can’t turn into a dagger, and it can’t turn into a twenty foot long spear. It is one of the rare Fumetsu weapons that have a special ability. However, no human has been able to control Shapeshifter’s shape. That is why it is normally used by Ningenbanare.”

She pointed at Hino. “That’s Tsuin.” She pointed at Bruno. “That, is Makai.” She turned to me, and paused. She stepped forward, and ran her hand along the armor. “This, is Quicksilver. The last person to use it was my brother.”

I blinked, then started to take it off. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”

She stopped me. “No, it’s fine. I think, if he had known you, he’d have wanted you to have it.”

“Why didn’t he take this with him?”

“I don’t know. I asked him, and he just said that it was not suitable for that particular battle.”

I looked at the armor. “Thank you.”

She smiled, then turned to face the others. “Every weapon here has a name. This, is my family’s vault, and my family’s weapons. Outsiders, are not allowed to use them. But, I think of you as my family now. Please, remember the names of your weapons, and may they keep you safe.”

Another crash sounded from the entrance, this time much closer. Suki drew Shinku. The blade hummed. Shigehito grinned in anticipation of a fight. Koike twirled Kuroi a few times. Emi spun Shapeshifter around her hand. I drew Quicksilver’s knuckleblades out from the harness. I could feel the adrenaline start to flow. Grinning, I started walking towards the entrance. “Let’s go guys” I said.

We opened the trapdoor, and Shigehito leapt out, going straight towards a blond man with a sickle. They started fighting, their every movement a blur. I glanced around, assessing the situation. There were a bunch of men approaching us, weapons drawn. I couldn’t tell which ones were non-human. Then they charged, and the battle began.

Koike’s POV

I twirled Kuroi expertly around my hand as the men charged. Suddenly, the lead guy took a jump, and kicked Ryou in the chest. Ryou managed to block with the armor on his arms, but he was thrown backward.

That’s one Ningenbanare. Ryou should be good enough to handle him.

A man charged, slashing downwards. I blocked with Kuroi’s chain, and kicked him in the groin. As he knelt, agony written on his face, I inspected Kuroi.

“Not even a scratch. Cool.”

I swung Kuroi, and knocked the man out cold. I took up a stance, and waited for the others to come. Another man, with a symbol on his chest, stepped forward, wielding a cutlass. He saluted with the cutlass.

“I am Junta. A Ningenbanare with the Mugoi. I will be your opponent.”

I bowed back. “I am Koike, a human with the resistance.”

The man charged.

He’s not very fast for a Ningenbanare.

Then we clashed.

Emi’s POV

I spun Shapeshifter, and blocked the three men’s attacks with the Wuhua defense skill. I reversed the spin, and knocked their weapons out of their hands.

This is a good staff.

A woman stepped up, also wielding a staff. She smiled at me, and attacked. Instantly, I knew this was a different opponent. She was stronger, faster, and more skilled than the other men.

Ningenbanare.

But she wasn’t that good. I was still holding my own, though some of her blows were getting through.

Time to see how much better I’ve gotten.

Ryou’s POV

I cursed, as I flew backward, and bounced off a wall that hadn’t collapsed. Yet, anyway. I pulled myself to my feet, and faced the man who’d hit me. He, also wore arm and shin guards, though he didn’t have any knuckleblades, and his armor was made of regular iron.

He bowed to me. “I am Kiga, the Kicker. A Ningenbanare with the Mugoi. That armor looks interesting. I’ll take it after I’m done with you.”

I grinned at him. “Awfully cocky, aren’t ya?” I tucked the knuckleblades into the harness. ‘If you aren’t using weapons, neither will I. Bring it.”

He smiled, and attacked, his legs a blur. True to his nickname, he attacked with kicks.

Fujiwara Martial Arts is based on Taekwondo. Seems this guy has learned the equivalent of Taekwondo in this dimension.

I blocked his turning kick, but it was a feint. He nailed me with a sidekick, but I managed to block it with my arm guard. Still, it was enough to knock me back a few paces.

This guy must be a new Ningenbanare. And he hasn’t gone through whatever it is that the Mugoi do to make their new Ningenbanares develop quickly.

I called to him. “How come your speed and strength is only slightly better than mine? I thought you Mugoi had something to make a Ningenbanare develop fast?

He smiled. “We do, but I refused to take it. My friends refused too. We prefer to be able to control our power. Our squad only has one fully-developed Ningenbanare, and three other new Ningenbanare, including me. The rest are humans waiting their turn to become Ningenbanare.”

My lip curled. “You mean those humans are willing to kill others, just for the sake of power?!”

He smiled again. “Yes.”

I’m gonna wipe that smile off his face, then I’m going to beat the hell out of those human soldiers!

“One more question.” I said.

“Yes?”

I waved my hand at the debris around me. “Are you the ones responsible for this?”

He smiled again. “Yes.”

Okay, now I'm REALLY gonna kick your ass!

I charged, and kicked out with a jumping sidekick. He jumped backwards, and blocked my kick with a raised knee. Then he twisted, and hit me with his other leg. I blocked that one, and we both landed within striking distance of each other. I punched out, but he dodged it, and kneed me in the stomach. I dropped to my knees. I looked up, to see him take a step back. Then he jumped, and did a 360 spin. I watched his foot come down.

I know that move! That’s the Falling Comet Kick!

Shit!

Emi’s POV

I found myself looking in Ryou’s direction just as the guy he was fighting came down with a kick so strong the downdraft kicked up a cloud of dust.

“Ryou!”

The woman attacked, lunging with her staff, like it was a spear. I knocked it aside, and spun in a circle, building momentum, and slamming Shapeshifter onto the woman’s head. She blocked with her staff, but Shapeshifter broke through, and nailed her hard enough to knock her out.

I turned back just in time to see the dust settle, revealing Ryou holding back the man’s leg with one armored arm.

He blocked that kick with just one hand?

It seemed his block was a little slow, however. A trickle of blood dripped down from above his left eye. A

breeze blew by, carrying his words to me.

“This, is for destroying this place!”

He twisted, and punched the man behind his knee. The man cried out, and jumped, bringing down his other leg. Ryou blocked that one too, making the man slam into the ground. Ryou spun in a circle while falling toward the man. Ryou’s arm flung out, and slammed into the man’s gut. Even from here, I could her the air exploding from the man’s mouth. Then the man got his feet between him and Ryou, and sent Ryou flying to slam into a wall.

Ryou’s POV

I gasped as I slammed into a wall. Vaguely, I noted that it was the same wall I’d slammed into the first time the guy sent me flying. I looked up in time to see the guy kick a few rocks at me. They were so fast I couldn’t even see them. The best I could do to block them was to cover my face with my arms. When the barrage stopped, I looked up in tim to see the man’s foot rushing towards me. I rolled away, and the wall behind me took the hit.

With a load groan, the wall toppled.

I sighed. “Haven’t you done enough damage?”

The man stepped forward, leg raised in a hook kick. I twisted, and punched the man behind his knee, putting my waist behind it. This time, my strength, combined with the speed of the man’s kick, was enough to break the knee. The man howled and collapsed.

I sighed. “With a hook kick, you’re supposed to chamber your leg, then sweep out in a hooking motion. Hence the name, hook kick. Not swing you entire leg like it’s a baseball bat or something. Here, let me show you how it’s done.”

I stepped up, and hook kicked the man in the head, knocking him out.

Koike’s POV

Junta thrust forward with the cutlass, nearly stabbing my heart. I turned my body parallel to the blade, and wrapped Kuroi around it. I pulled backward, forcing Junta towards me, and slammed my elbow into his jaw. I spun, and back-kicked him in the gut, making him drop the cutlass. Completing the spin, I brought Kuroi around and hit the man in the temple, knocking him out.

I glanced around, and saw the others finishing up the other soldiers. Shigehito was walking towards us, blood on his right hand. From his triumphant grin, I guessed the blood wasn’t his.

He came up to us, and looked from us to the unconscious and dead bodies. He nodded in approval.

“I think, You’ve gotten almost as good as you’ll ever be. It’s time for you to decide whether you want to be Ningenbanare, or not.”

Chapter Thirteen

Shigehito’s POV

“Y’know, I still don’t get why you won’t use the technique I taught you.” I remarked as I watched Ryou go through a strength/balance exercise.

Ryou grunted as he did another push-up. While standing on his hands. And balancing a rock on his legs.

“We’ve already gone over this, Shigehito. It goes against my principles, that’s all.”

“Hmph. You seemed fine with it when I first taught it to you.”

“That’s cause I only realized the true meaning of it in battle.”

I snorted. “You’re going to have to kill a lot more, you know.”

“With this technique, at least I’ll kill them on purpose, not because of my body’s reflexes.

“Since you decided to change techniques, you have to build up this technique up from scratch. That’s the main reason why Koike and Emi trounced you so badly.”

Ryou smiled. “That just means I have to work twice as hard as them.”

I turned away.

Hmph. This boy… I can’t tell if his stubbornness is the sign of potential or of stupidity.

I swept my leg out in a sweeping kick, knocking Ryou’s arms out from under him. He rolled, coming up to his feet and attacked back, already entering his battle mind, Frozen Soul.

It’ll be interesting to see just how good he can be.

I dodged his punch, blocked his follow-up, then grabbed his heel when he tried a reverse hook kick.

I suppose we’re lucky that three of the Four are already relatively proficient in the martial arts. Though we need to find a weapon for Ryou.

Still holding his heel, I twisted, and slammed him into the ground. He flipped to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth where he’d bitten himself.

He’s getting tougher. And he was tough to begin with.

He charged, attacking with a low sweep followed by a high turning kick. If it weren’t for the fact that my speed was so much higher than his, he would have gotten me. Still, it was close.

He holds back when he fights his friends. He would have lost anyway, because at his current level, he can’t beat armed fighters of Emi and Koike’s level. Still, he holds back. I’m not even sure whether he’s aware of it.

Without stopping the spin of his high turning kick, Ryou spun again, and kicked out with another reverse hook. As I reached up to grab it, he suddenly pulled his leg in, increasing the speed of his spin. In a second, his other leg was almost to my face in a turning roundhouse. I dodged it, but it was the closest he’d ever come to hitting me. I blocked his next punch with a palm, and pushed him back.

“Take a break.”

He is progressing faster and faster. For a human to get that close to hitting me… Now I see how he managed to kill that enemy Ningenbanare before I could get there.

I turned, and leapt up to one of the trees around the clearing. I broke off a few branches, then stuck them into the ground, then repeated the process. Soon, upright branches covered half the clearing. I ran through them, randomly stamping holes into the ground.

“Ryou.”

He walked over from where he’d been resting.

“Run through this course. Don’t hit the branches, and don’t step into the holes.”

He grinned, eyes glinting at the challenge. He ran, and dodged through the clearing. He clipped quite a few of the branches, and stumbled into the holes. He emerged at the other side, then ran through the course again without waiting for me to say anything. He still got clipped, and stepped into the holes, but less than before. I nodded, satisfied, then went to get some lunch. I didn’t worry about Ryou. In the early months of training, he would often skip lunch to train, and collapse a few hours after lunch time. Now though, Suki would come with his lunch, and make him stop long enough to eat it. All in all, that girl had been good for him. Since we got here, Ryou hadn’t

been out for any late night self-training sessions, and he seemed less tired.

Ryou’s POV

I ran through the course again. I weaved through the branches easily enough, only clipping a few here and there. But the holes were a problem. My peripheral vision wasn’t good enough to see the holes, and I couldn’t look at the branches while looking at the ground. Slowly though, my peripheral vision’s ability to pick up details was improving. Now, I hardly ever stumbled.

“Ryou!”

I finished the course, then turned to see Suki coming, a basket in her hands. Her katana was strapped to her waist. Everyday after lunch, Suki would spend a few hours teaching me her family’s style of swordplay. I was still nowhere near her level, but I didn’t mind. Suki was skilled enough to defeat Tenma, as long as she didn’t have to worry about other, less skilled allies. You didn’t get that kind of skill overnight.

After lunch, Suki stood up, and picked up two relatively straight sticks. She tossed one to me.

“Come on.”

I grinned, hefting the stick in my right hand. I stood easily, then rushed forward. Suki dodged my thrust, And swung her stick up along the mine, and would have hit my head if I hadn’t ducked. I twisted my waist, and slashed horizontally. She stepped back.

“Sakura Blade: Hawk's Talons!”

In an instant, her stick was an inch from my throat. I stepped back. She smiled at me.

“Again.”

Chapter Twelve

I breathed in the cold mountain air, letting it calm me. I watched my opponent carefully. He was well-trained, and wielded his weapon with a high degree of proficiency. However, I’d spotted an opening in his style.

I charged in, careful not to let my center of gravity get too far forward. My opponent swung downwards, trying to nail me on my head. I stopped, and stepped back, letting the weapon slip by. When it was past, I threw a back kick. My opponent stepped around the back kick, spinning as he did so, and swung his weapon right into my side with enough forced to knock me over.

I grunted as the nunchaku slammed into me. I fell and rolled, coming up a few metres away from Koike. He grinned at me. “You lose, Ryou. I could’ve killed you by swinging at your head.”

I grinned at him. “Lucky strike.”

He’s gotten better. I’m still slightly faster, but his strength has far surpassed me.

Shigehito scowled, and threw a small pouch at Masato, who caught it while grinning. I swore I heard what sounded like the clinking of coins.

Yuki spoke up “Emi, you’re up next.”

I watched as Emi stood up, her staff in her hand. I took stock of my body. I’d received quite a few hits from Koike, and my forearms felt tender. But overall, I could still fight at full strength.

I breathed out, trying to regain my sense of calm. After the fight with that enemy Ningenbanare, I’d decided not to use the Heart of Fire, Mind of Ice technique that Shigehito taught me. Because of the anger that pumped through my body, I’d killed the man before I realized what I was doing. That technique was too dangerous. At least, with my new technique, Frozen Soul, I’d be in control if and when I wanted to kill. The strength advantage offered by Shigehito’s technique was outweighed by the risk.

Emi stood in front of me, and raised her hands, one palm curled around a fist, in the traditional Chinese wushu salute. I returned the gesture, and bowed. She held her staff expertly, waiting for me to move.

Okay. With that staff, she can attack and defend simultaneously. That means punches and kicks won’t work. I wouldn’t feel right about hitting her anyway. So, I’ll try to disarm her. That means judo moves.

I shifted my feet, adopting a wide stance, and held my hands in front of me, palms facing her. I kept my eyes on her face, looking for any signs that she was going to attack. I also watched her staff in my peripheral vision.

Emi doesn’t have much patience. She’ll be attacking any minute now…

She moved, front foot sliding forward, staff arcing upward.

Fast!

I side-stepped the swing, and moved in, trying to grab her shirt so I could throw her. I’d forgotten about the other end of her staff. Emi was kind enough to remind me by forcefully introducing it to my jaw.

Ooh…Pretty stars…

My instincts flared, and I brought both my arms up in a cross block, stopping Emi’s staff just before it hit my head. I grabbed her staff, and twisted, trying to get it out of her hands. She twisted with the motion, and landed, planting her feet firmly, and yanked when I was off balance. The staff slipped right out of my hands. She swiped at me, and I jumped back.

I’m stronger than her, but she’s waaay fast.

Emi stepped forward, her staff whirling. “Six Harmony Staff: Arrow Pierces the Moon!”

I blinked, and suddenly Emi’s staff was an inch away from my forehead. Masato and Shigehito winced, and threw two small bags to Yuki and Miharu.

“Awright! Show em, Emi!” Suki cheered.

After the attack on the headquarters, Yuki and the others had taken us to the mountains for training. Suki, Ralph, Bruno (The big guy with the broadsword) and Hino (A girl with red hair, and an expert with all staff weapons including spear and longsword) had followed as our bodyguards. We’d all gotten to know each other quite well. Suki was my bodyguard, Ralph was Koike’s bodyguard, Bruno was Asuka’s bodyguard, and Hino was in charge of Emi. Emi’s improvement was faster than all of us, possibly because she had two teachers, Yuki and Hino.

I trudged over to Suki. “Gee, thanks for the support.” She giggled, and ran her hand through my hair.

“I know this will only motivate you to train harder.”

I smiled. “You know me too well.”

“Just don’t overdo it, alright?”

I smiled innocently at her. She sighed. “You’re gonna overdo it, aren’t you?”

I grinned. “At least I’ll have you to take care of me when I pass out.”

Shigehito shouted. “OI! Get over here, boy! It’s obvious I haven’t been training you hard enough!”

My eyes glinted. “Bring it, grandpa!

Y'know, this is gonna be tough as hell.

Cool.

Chapter Eleven

The Ningenbanare grinned, then charged me head on. I blinked.

No way…

I stepped forward, bringing my elbow up. The Ningenbanare crashed right into my elbow. Only the Ningenbanare’s enhanced skeletal structure saved him from broken teeth. My elbow hurt though. My left hand crashed out, strength enhanced by rage. My fist slammed into the Ningenbanare’s solar plexus, knocking him backward.

Something’s weird about this guy..

The Ningenbanare charged to my left, I didn’t bother turning. The daily fights with Shigehito had taught me one thing. The only way for me to follow the speed of Tenma and Ningenbanare was by using my peripheral vision. The Ningenbanare rushed towards my left side, sword swinging wildly.

He’s had almost no training.

I stepped forward, and the blade missed. Before I could counterattack, the Ningenbanare was gone. He’d rushed straight past me. I frowned

Strange. I thought for sure he’d try another attack. Could it be?

He charged again. To test my theory, I rolled forward before he reached me. Instead of changing his direction to run at me, he rushed straight past the place I was, and crashed through a few boxes.

Its…as if he can’t control his speed! But, how? According to Shigehito, when a human turns Ningenbanare, his speed and strength only increases gradually!

Could the Mugoi have figured out a way to give a newly turned Ningenbanare full speed and strength?

I cursed. There was no time for speculation. This may have been a rookie Ningenbanare who couldn’t control his speed and power, but he was still a threat. One direct hit from that sword, and I was dead. Though, I had a little bit of leeway now.

The Ningenbanare ran towards me. I snorted. He should have learned by now that charging me head on wasn’t gonna work. I stepped forward, and slid down in a sliding tackle. One foot hit his lead foot, causing him to trip. The other foot, with toes pointed forward, forming a spear, stabbed straight into his groin. He gasped, and bent over. My hands were already moving. Since I was only human, I could only manage two strikes. But I made them count. My left hand struck his solar plexus again, and my right hand, middle knuckles extended, struck his neck.

Then he flew over me, and skidded through the grass. I was on my feet in an instant. Shigehito had happily stomped on me many times when I didn’t get up fast enough. I held the Ningenbanare’s stare. By now, rage was burning through my body, and my mind was completely calm. All emotions had long been discarded. In this state, my reflexes were at their fastest, and all hesitation, the one thing that had been holding me back, was gone. The Ningenbanare coughed up blood.

“How is this possible! How am I being defeated by one human?!”

Because you can’t even control your own body.

Because you’ve barely had any training.

Because you lack the ability to adapt yourself to the situation.

Because you underestimated your enemy.

Because I’m better than you.

I felt no need to explain to the Ningenbanare. I was no longer the person that I normally was. Here, in battle, I was ruthless, because battle is ruthless. The Ningenbanare stood up, then charged me again, sword extended in front of him. I slapped the sword away, then struck forwards, into his neck. I switched my hand to the back of his head, then head-butted the Ningenbanare. He reared back, exposing his neck again.

My hand reached up, and i slammed my elbow into his neck. My other hand blurred forward, fingers extended, and stabbed into the neck, almost breaking my fingers. As the Ningenbanare stumbled backward, I grabbed his head, and leapt up, ramming my knee into his face. This time, he fell. I quick-stepped up, and landed an axe kick to his neck. I felt the bone snap. The sound and feel of it sickened me.

I stumbled back from the body and fought the urge to vomit.

Jesus…

“This is why I said you weren’t ready.”

I looked up to see Shigehito, standing next to the body. I looked away.

“I just killed someone.”

Shigehito sighed.

“If it helps, you did well.”

“Then why do I feel like I’ve failed? That man, has family and probably friends! A mother! A father! Brothers! Sisters! Hell, maybe even a wife and kids! What right do I have to take him away from those close to him!?

What makes MY life more important than HIS?!

Shigehito stood there a moment, then hit me in the head.

“What-?”

“This is WAR, boy! IF you hadn’t killed him, that would’ve been YOUR body lying there! Imagine what your friends would have felt! Imagine what your family would have felt!”

He grabbed my shirt collar. In a low, dangerous voice, he spoke.

“Also, this war isn’t just about you. If you die, here, countless others will die with you. Men, women, children. All of them will die, killed by the Mugoi. We need you to stop them. So I’ll be damned, if I’m gonna let some sentimental brat ruin the resistance’s best chance of beating the thrice-damned Mugoi!”

He pushed me back.

“Now, lets go back to the others.”

With that, he turned and left. I stood there a moment, then followed him.

When we got back to the tent, Koike was already back. I glanced at him.

“You killed the Ningenbanare?”

Koike shook his head. “Masato got to him first.”

I nodded, then sat down in front of the fire someone had set up. I glanced at Emi. “What about you?”

She shook her head. “Ralph-“ she pointed at the guy with the twin swords “stabbed one in the head, and Yuki took out the other one.”

I nodded again, then looked into the fire. “What about you?”

I glanced at Emi. “I did what I had to do.”

Suki sat beside me. “You okay?”

I looked back to the fire. “I’m fine.”

That’s a lie and you know it.

Shut up. I’m not in the mood.

Yuki walked up. Apparently, she’d been having a meeting with the other leaders. I remembered something.

“Hey, Yuki.”

“Yes, Ryou?”

“The Ningenbanare I fought. There was something weird about him. He had the speed and strength of a Ningenbanare, but he couldn’t control it.”

Yuki nodded.

“We know, Ryou. The other Ningenbanare who attacked were the same way. Long ago, the Mugoi found that a combination of herbs, treated in a certain way, would greatly accelerate the development of newly created Ningenbanare. This is the primary reason that, in almost every confrontation with the Mugoi, we inflict more casualties than we sustained.”

Miharu reached over, and grasped my right hand. There was a cut on the back of it. I hadn’t even noticed,

though now I could feel the sting.

Must’ve been from when I slapped the Ningenbanare’s sword away.

I roughly pulled my hand away from Miharu. I immediately felt guilty for it. “I’m fine” I muttered, then crawled into my tent. I heard Yuki talking.

“Okay. We move out in the morning. Everyone, try to get some sleep.”

The fire was put out, and Koike crawled into his side of the tent. I stayed awake long after he started snoring.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the face of the man I’d killed, face twisted in bloodlust, reaching for me.

I sighed. This was going to be a long night.