Chapter 5: Combat

The next day came. I had barely slept last night. All I could think about was Kioshi. I tossed and turned in bed all night long. Now, I was lying awake on the floor staring at the ceiling. The sunlight was peeking through the blinds. It was a beautiful day. "Get up," I heard Kioshi say. 

I jumped. He had already opened the door. "Wh-what's wrong?"

"Come on," he said, ignoring my question. I quickly scrambled to my feet and followed behind him. He led me to an empty, and we were the only ones there. He stood facing me with a determined look. "Alright, we're going to start with the basics. Stretching is extremely important."

"Stretching? Okay." I replied. He nodded his head and got into a split. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Holy crud, you're so flexible."

He cleared his throat. "Ahem. You're supposed to stretch too."

"Oh, yeah. Sure," I answered awkwardly.

I try to copy his movements exactly. "Holy Moly." I whispered under my breath. It hurt like hell. I could hear my thighs burning. "You're not stupid, right? You won't be able to do something like that in one day." Kioshi mocked.

I threw myself to the ground and sprawled out like a starfish. "Give me a minute," I pleaded. He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Once I regained my composure, we continued stretching. Kioshi made me do a ton of stretches before we could even begin the fun part. By the time we were finished, I was a sweaty mess. I had worked up a massive appetite.

"Okay. So, the first thing you'll learn is the front stance. The front stance is a very stable, wide, and defensive position. It's perfect for defending against kicks. It's also a very useful base for launching powerful strikes─ and you're not listening to me, are you?"

"Huh? What?" I mumbled, still recovering from all the exercise. Kioshi sighed heavily. "Never mind. Just watch." He demonstrated the front stance. He moved smoothly, like water flowing through a stream. It was mesmerizing. I was completely awestruck. My jaw dropped open as I watched in awe.

He repeated the stance several times. After a while, he stopped and faced me. "All right, now you try." I attempted to copy his movements. Unfortunately, I couldn't do it quite the same. I tried a few more times. Still nothing. Kioshi shook his head. "This is going to be a long day." He muttered.

"Hey, this is harder than it looks you know? I don't have any formal training unlike you." I pouted.

"Then just quit. If you can't handle a little exercise, you're better off going back to that shabby room you called an apartment." That hurt. For a moment, it looked like he regretted saying that. His expression turned cold again. "You're not the only one with a sob story. Everyone here has one. Get over it."

I stayed silent and held my head down. He's right. Who am I to complain? Kioshi scoffed. "Don't tell me you're actually crying." I quickly wiped my tears and apologized. He sighed. "Look. This isn't the time for pity parties. You want to get stronger, don't you?" I nodded. "Then toughen up and let's get this over with. Stop wasting my time."

I took a deep breath and steadied myself. "Okay. Let's keep going."

"That's more like it." Kioshi approved.

For about two hours, he taught me the basics. It was tiring, but I managed. By the end, I was completely drained. "You really need to work on your stamina." Kioshi commented. I slumped onto the ground. "I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get used too it. We're going for a little run." He stated. My eyes widened. "WHAT? But we just spent the last 2 hours practicing."

"Yes, and we'll be running. Now get up." He demanded. I groaned. Kioshi was so strict. How could someone have this much energy? He must have superpowers or something. "Can't we rest for a little bit first?" I begged with big pleading eyes.

Kioshi sighed and reluctantly agreed. I thanked him happily and immediately went into the kitchen for water. "SO THIRSTY!" I yelled. Kioshi snickered. "Don't laugh at me." I said.

He held his hands up in defeat. I guzzled the water down greedily and went back for another bottle. After that, I collapsed onto the couch.

  "Okay, let's go," Kioshi ordered. I wanted to scream. I wasn't ready yet. My body wasn't fully recovered. "But that was barely even two minutes." I whined.

"Time is up. Let's go."

"Fine. Fine."

***

Kioshi and I were running on a track in a nearby park. It was a chilly, cloudy morning. The air was thick and damp. I could taste the salt from the sea breeze. There were many people exercising. We weren't the only ones up early. Kioshi and I ran for about an hour straight. After a while, he slowed down.

"Okay. We can stop here," he announced.

"Thank God," I sighed. I bent down and rested my hands on my knees. "That was intense." 

Kioshi sat on the grass and pulled a bottle of water out of his backpack. He drank half of it and offered the other half to me. "Here." He extended his arm, and I gratefully accepted the water. "Thanks." I sat next to him and chugged the water.

"You did pretty well today, despite your lack of stamina and ability to focus." He said. Was that supposed to be a compliment? It sounded more like an insult. I decided not to question him. I'll take whatever I can get.

An awkward silence ensued. I fiddled with the empty water bottle in my hands. What should I say? Should I ask him questions? Would he even answer them? He probably wouldn't. He was being unusually quiet, and his gaze was fixated on the track.

"Do you come here often?" I blurted out. Ugh, way to be weird, Himiko.

  "Sometimes." He replied. "I have to keep myself in peak physical shape."

"Well, I could definitely tell," I muttered.

Kioshi glanced over at me. "What was that?"

"Uh, nothing. Just thinking aloud," I fibbed.

Kioshi raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Okay then."

We sat in silence for a while. Then, suddenly, Kioshi spoke. "So...you've never been in a fight before, huh?" I shook my head no.

"Well, not unless you count the times when some girl would randomly slap or punch me. Those were really bad. Especially since I have no idea why they would even want to hit me." I say sullenly.

"It was probably because they were jealous." He suggested.

"Jealous?" I questioned.

"Yeah. You're pretty." he said. He actually complimented me. This was a good sign.

"R-really? You think so?" I stammered.

"Yeah. A lot of girls are pretty. You're not anything special," he added. Whelp, there goes my sweet compliment.

"Thanks, jerk," I pouted.

"Anyway, if someone tries to attack you, don't hesitate. They'll take advantage of you. Strike first. Hit hard. Finish fast. Do you understand?" I only nodded in response. I laid back and stared up at the sky. The clouds were slowly drifting by. A gentle breeze caressed my face. I closed my eyes and relaxed. This was nice. Suddenly, a drop of rain fell onto my cheek. Another drop fell. Then another. Soon, the rain began falling steadily. Kioshi and I both stood up.

"Let's head back," he said. I nodded.  We had no choice but to run. Kioshi and I were soaked within seconds. He grabbed my hand and we dashed toward a random building for cover. His hair was dripping wet, and his clothes clung tightly to his body. He looked even more handsome now. My heart was racing.

The rain started coming down even harder. Kioshi and I stood side by side. We waited patiently for the rain to stop. "Why do you try your best to avoid me?" I asked bluntly.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You barely talk to me, and whenever you do, it's either insults or sarcasm. Not to mention, you avoided telling me that you went to the same school as me, let alone that we're around the same age. It makes me wonder if I did something to make you dislike me. And then, yesterday, when I brought the castella back, you seemed like you didn't really want it. It almost seemed like you didn't want to talk to me. Why?"

Kioshi was silent for a moment. Then, he spoke. "It's not personal. I'm not particularly fond of people in general. Most people are selfish, dishonest, and untrustworthy. The last thing I need is someone who's going to use me or Rising Phoenix. The only reason I'm here is because of Seiji. I owe him everything."

I understood where he was coming from. Still, I couldn't help feeling a bit hurt. I was only trying to be his friend. "If you dislike me so much, then why'd you agree to train me?" I questioned.

"You were already involved in the organization. Even if I did reject the request, Seiji would have forced me to accept it. I'm just doing what he wants. That's all." He said nonchalantly.

"I see." I whispered sadly. I felt a sharp pain in my chest. He doesn't care. At least he's honest. Kioshi and I were silent. The rain was starting to subside.

"We can go now," Kioshi said. I stood in place and watched him leave. My legs refused to move. What did I expect? Him to be my friend? I'm not that lucky. "Come on," he demanded. "Unless you want to be caught in the rain again."

I continued to stand in place, not saying a word. Kioshi sighed. "Fine, stay here. See if I care." I stood there as I watched him walk away. A part of me wished he'd turn around and apologize, but I knew he wouldn't.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't force him to be friends with me.

I waited a few minutes before heading back. The rain started pouring again. I wandered around aimlessly for a while. Eventually, I made my way back home. 

When I reached the complex, I took a quick shower. I didn't want to eat anything. My stomach was upset. Instead, I changed into my pajamas and laid on my bed. I couldn't stop thinking about what happened. Maybe Kioshi's right. He and the others have reasons to dislike me. I'm a stranger. No matter how hard I try, no one will ever truly accept me.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Himiko," I heard a voice say. "Come eat." I didn't respond.

"Himiko," the voice repeated. "I know you're in there. Come eat." It was Setsuna.

"I'm not hungry." I replied.

"That's bullshit. Come out or I'll break down the damn door," he threatened. I sighed heavily and got up. I opened the door. Setsuna was standing outside with his arms crossed. "Good. Let's go."

Setsuna led the way. I followed behind him. When we arrived at the dining table, everyone else was already there. "What took you guys so long?" Eito questioned. I didn't answer him, and reluctantly took a seat.

Everyone was silent. The tension was thick. Seiji cleared his throat and spoke. "So, how was training Kioshi today?"

"Fine." We both said in unison.

"Just fine?" Seiji pushed.

I stayed quiet. Kioshi sighed. "She lacks basic discipline. She can't stretch properly, her stamina us terrible, and she couldn't focus to save her life." he said coldly.

"Kioshi." Seiji scolded.

"Sorry," he said.

Seiji sighed. "At least give her a chance."

"It's okay, Seiji. Kioshi's right. I'm not the greatest. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm the worst. Everything he said is true." I murmured.

"Well, it's obvious that you've never trained before, but that doesn't mean you're terrible. Besides, you can always improve. Kioshi can teach you how." Seiji reassured me.

"That's the problem. Kioshi doesn't want to teach me. He was practically forced. He's only doing this because he has to. Nothing more. Nothing less." I stated.

"He'll warm up to you."

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever." I rolled my eyes.

"Himiko, show some respect." Eito interjected.

"Why should I? He's not exactly giving me the warmest welcome."

"Enough," Seiji interrupted.

I held my tongue. Kioshi and I were glaring daggers at each other. Rin looked bored. Seiji's expression was serious. It was like a standoff.

"I understand that Kioshi is a little harsh, but he has his reasons. Himiko, if you would allow him to explain, maybe you'd have a better understanding." Seiji urged.

"But he won't. He won't explain anything to me. The guy doesn't want anything to do with me. I'd rather go ahead and give him what he wants and not bother him." I replied.

I angrily stood up and left the dining room. No one followed after me. Good. I didn't want to talk anymore. I slammed the door and locked it. I plopped onto my bed and sulked. There was a knock on the door. "Himiko, let's talk," a deep, muffled voice said.

I groaned and got up. I unlocked the door and stepped outside. It was Seiji. I should have known. Of course, he was the only person who would come to see me. "Listen, Himiko, I understand how you feel. Kioshi isn't the most welcoming person. Believe me, it's not you. It's not anyone. He's always had problems with putting his trust in others. He's had a rough life. Please, give him a chance. You never know. One day, he may open up and tell you his story."

"Yeah, that'll happen. Not," I said sarcastically.

"I'm not asking you to become best friends, but try not to be so cold towards him. If not for him, then for the sake of your training. He can really help you." Seiji urged.

"What about Eito? He's strong, right? He'd make a great teacher for me. He doesn't seem too happy about the whole thing either." I suggested.

"Eito's busy with work, and his patience is not the greatest. Kioshi's the only one with free time who is able to properly give you training. Plus, Kioshi has been through more than any of the others. He has experience. He knows what he's doing."

I sighed heavily. "You're telling me a guy like him who's around the same age as me has more experience than any of you old men?"

"Well, I'm not exactly an old man, but yes. Kioshi is the youngest of the five, but he's had a difficult life. He's also had a lot of training. He can show you the basics and much, much more."

"But Seiji-"

"Himiko, just do as I say, and don't argue. You're going to listen to Kioshi, no questions asked." Seiji stated firmly. I knew I had no choice. I agreed reluctantly. "Okay, I will."

"Glad we had this conversation." Seiji stood up and backed away slowly. He opened the door and dragged Kioshi inside. "Now bond." He ordered and shut the door loudly.

Great. Now I'm stuck with him.