Training.

Part 0: Beginning of the end...

Arc 3: The Rogue Reaper.

(Miyamoto Musashi has took Sam in as his student and Sam is busy training next to a river)

(Sam is practicing his fighting skills with Miyamoto using a wooden katana, while Isabel looks at them)

(Sam does a forward thrust attack using the katana)

(Miyamoto counters it throwing the sword over his shoulder, knocking Sam down and he brings his sword up to Sam's neck)

Miyamoto: (Keeping the wooden sword to Sam's neck) Never and I mean never do that attack, while the enemy can see it coming towards them... should I have been an enemy you would be dead right now.

Sam: (Wearing a loose grey shirt and loose fitting grey pants for training) R- right...

Miyamoto: (Helps Sam up) Your attacks were all over the place you just attacked, not knowing whether it was an opening or not... that is the exact opposite of the Musashi style.

(Miyamoto lets his guard down for a second and Sam reaches for his wooden sword but Miyamoto stops him in his tracks)

Miyamoto: Trying to attack me while my guard was down, clever. Back to my point, the Musashi style focuses on accurate fast strikes to vital points like the throat, head and the muscles that hold together certain limbs and if you want to stoop really low, the eyes. This style works with practically every bladed and sharp weapon, hell even a utility hammer. This includes your Scythe, just don't cut yourself when your using the style with it. (Miyamoto walks away) Rest for a bit, we'll continue training in an hour.

Sam: (Tired) I thought we're done for the day...

Miyamoto: You can be done or you can be strong. The choice is yours. Study strategy over the years and achieve the spirit of the warrior. Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men. Understand?

Sam: (Falls to the ground from exhaustion) Perfectly not confusing.

(Isabel rushes over to Sam with a water bottle in her hand)

Isabel: (Panicking) Are you hurt?

Sam: Yeah...

Isabel: Where does it hurt the most.

Sam: Everywhere. I didn't know a 425 year old could hit that hard.

Isabel: You don't have to push yourself like this... I can protect myself.

Sam: I know Isabel... but there are those who can't, I want to become stronger so that I can protect them and you...

Isabel: I know... and we'll protect them together. Just you and I, we'll show everyone kindness, we'll be adventurers on a never ending journey, we'll be True Reapers. (She reaches her hand out to Sam to help him up) What do you say?

Sam: (Takes Isabel's hand) I say, let's go on this journey! The second I'm done here.

(Sam and Isabel walk back to Miyamoto's Minka, with Isabel holding onto Sam as they walk)

(They reach the Minka and Sam sits down inside and talks to Miyamoto)

(Isabel goes to rest in their room)

Sam: So umm, you never did tell me how you're still alive.

Miyamoto: I don't know whether to call it a curse or a blessing, but you see these 2 blades at my side. The Katana with the green handel is called Gurīnfīrudo, and the Tanto with black handel is called Yozora. They're made out of a material not even I know the name of, they are unbreakable. It's a long story on how I got them, but with them came something else "The wielder of these blades, shall never stare death in the eye. Unless they are to give themselves for something greater performing the ultimate Hara-kiri. It gives the wielder the speed of Heaven, making them move almost unseen. But with this power comes one great burden; should these blades ever leave the wielder's side they shall feel heaven's wrath, as they have betrayed it." I got these blades at my current physical age, that explains why I look 67 but in reality I am 425 years old.

Sam: Well sensei be glad, you're not a Loli who's 1000 years old. Oh shit, that brought back some bad memories.

Miyamoto: A what?

Sam: Never mind, best not to know. Man I hate 14 year old me... those were dark times.

(Sam gets a chill up his spine)

(Sam is traumatized by his younger self)

Sam: I know, I'm technically alive. But Mrs Pendragon better have destroyed everything in that closet, I don't want that to be my living legacy.

Miyamoto: I want to know and I don't want to know.

Sam: Somebody get me a raw egg, 2 shots of Tabasco, salt, pepper and a gun to shoot myself!

Miyamoto: Hey, hey, hey hold up... I still have to train to you, can it wait?

Sam: Even if I shoot myself, I'll come back anyway!!! Ah! Damn it!!! Get out of my mind Loli-con me!!!

Miyamoto: (Thinking) In all the years I've been alive, this is the strangest thing I've ever seen. The hell is Loli-con?

Sam: (Punches himself) That worked!!! that worked...

Miyamoto: You know, can we just continue our training?

Sam: Yeah, please.

(Sam follows Miyamoto outside)

(Isabel is sitting in her and Sam's room)

Isabel: (Feels something in her jacket's inside pocket and takes it out) This is... Sam's journal. when did this get here? (There is a letter attached to the back and she reads it) "Thought Sam might need this, found it on top of his cupboard. No idea how this thing still has open pages, give it to him if you got the time please. Everyone sends their luck and regard out to you two. Je vous souhaite bonne chance - Louis" Thank you guys, I'll give this to him the second he's back.

(Meanwhile just as Louis sends the letter using a Magica Spell, he is approached by Jericho in the dark room with a dim light he's writing the letter in)

Jericho: (Approaching Louis from behind) Writing something, Mr Martin?

Louis: Yeah... just something to a friend.

Jericho: And what is this friend's name?

Louis: Jean Luke...

(Jericho brings a blade made from Silver String to Louis' neck)

Jericho: Who were you writing to?

Louis: I was showing something you didn't, friendship and kindness.

Jericho: The Rogue one, huh?

Louis: No, the one behind you.

(Jericho looks behind her and sees Louis' Scythe coming towards her)

(She blocks the Scythe and Louis catches it)

(Louis' Scythe: The Harvesting Scythe, resembles a standard long Harvesting farming Scythe that you see in most incarnations of the Grim Reaper with a wider heavenly steel blade with a mountain range engraved on it and a Oak wood snath with carving of an Eagle on it)

Louis: And now you're attacking an innocent man, this ass whooping counts as Self-defense. And all this, is what you taught me.

(Jericho side swipes her blade at Louis but he deflects it)

(She radically attacks Louis but he counters every attack, he doesn't have much room to move with the size of the Scythe)

Louis: (Thinking) Why'd she have to attack me here!!! In such a small room. I have to get this fight outside!! The window, I can knock her into the street!!!

(Louis keeps dodging her attacks luring her towards the window)

(Louis dodges one of her blade swipes and gets it stuck in a wall with her facing the window)

Louis: Sorry!!!

(Louis rams her out of the window making her fall 3 stories onto the concrete ground in the back alley)

(Jericho somehow survived the fall)

Louis: Guess we're doing this the hard way!!!

(Louis jumps out the window Scythe in hand)

(Louis' shadow reflects from the sunlight)

(Louis tries to land a hit on Jericho's head but she blocks it just before it hits her head and she throws him off her)

Louis: (Slowly getting up) Why are you chasing me!!! How did you even track me down!?

Jericho: I saw how you sympathized for Reyes, I knew you would find him and help him!!!

Louis: Yeah because he was my friend and yours too!!!

(Jericho and Louis rush at each other screaming and then it all goes silent)

(They are standing in the opposite directions they were charging from, facing opposite directions from one another)

(Louis gets a small cut on his left arm)

(Jericho touches her stomach and sees blood, she then collapses to the ground from the blood loss)

Louis: (Makes the Scythe disappear using his Magica and walks away) Au revoir, bitch.

(Louis disappears into the streets and Jericho dies from blood loss in a back alley of Los Angeles)

(Back at Miyamoto's Minka)

(A few hours after Sam's training around 20:30)

(Sam takes a bath and reflects on what he trained and learned)

Sam: This was a damn long day... felt like it would never end, with all that sparing, exercising and inner peace nonsense. What's even the use of "Inner peace"? (Just as Sam is feeling relaxed he notices something, his fist is on fire but it doesn't burn) Ahh! (Sam puts the fist in water out of instinct, but the fire doesn't go out) What the hell!!! It won't go out!!! How is it even on fire!!!

Isabel: (Knocking from the other side of the door) Sam? Everything alright?

Sam: (Trying to hide the panic in his voice) Yeah, everything's fine.

Isabel: Oh okay, listen when you're done in there I want to talk to you about something!

Sam: (Dunking his fist underwater multiple times) A- about what?

Isabel: The next step.

Sam: (Puts his fist out of fire) (Softly talking) Hah, finally…

Isabel: Sam, you hear me?

Sam: Yeah, next step, got it.

(Isabel walks away)

Sam: (Looks at the hand that was on fire) Am… am I becoming Ghost Rider? Wait! This has to be my Elementa… It's seems to simply be fire, but I didn't go out when I put it in water… I'm gonna have to ask Musashi-san about this. Did I just say "Musashi-san"? For now I'm just gonna try and not burn down the Minka.

(Sam gets out of the bath and puts on his nighttime clothes)

(Miyamoto is sleeping in the room next to theirs)

(Sam enters their and Isabel was waiting for him)

Sam: (Climbs into blanket on the sleeping mattress) You said, you wanted to talk about "The next step. What do you mean?

Isabel: (Rolls closer to Sam, holding onto him) Well, you see, I'm talking about that step…

Sam: (Is initially confused but catches on) Is- Isabel… are- are you sure?

Isabel: Positive. We have been together for 2 years now, it was bound to happen sooner or later…

Sam: Isabel, that's a massive next step. And Miyamoto is asleep in the other room, we might wake him up, Japanese walls are thing…

Isabel: Who cares about him? Sam, I'm ready to take this step…

Sam: Well then… ain't no time like the present I say.

(Sam and Isabel start intensely kissing each other and doing other things… I'm not gonna write about)

(I could describe each and everything they do, but I ain't gonna. For multiple reasons, one of which being that I want to sleep tonight.)

(The next morning)

(Miyamoto walks into their room)

(Miyamoto looks around the room and sees their clothes on the far other side of floor)

(Miyamoto sees both of them holding closely onto each other, under the blanket)

(Sam and Isabel wake up and look at Miyamoto)

Isabel: (Blushing) M- Mr. Musashi… we can explain.

Miyamoto: Hahaha, so it was you two last night!!! You kept me awake all night!!! My head was facing towards your room a few meters from you 2!!! This wall is literally a thin sheet of paper!!! (Punches through the wall) I can easily punch through it!!! Now imagine what I heard in the night!

(Miyamoto takes a small vase next to him and throws it at them but Sam catches it easily)

Miyamoto: Good catch…*Tch* (He starts to walk out) "Oh, Sammy yess.", "Isabella, that's why I love you…" Oh I feel so wrong for quoting that!!!

(Yeah and I feel so wrong for writing that…)

(And on that note, end of Chapter 12)