Chapter 2: 1x2: Nothing Like Home
"I'm home!" The blue haired boy announced, stepping into the humble abode. From the kitchen, a woman with long straight blonde hair emerged, her eyes wide and her face chalk full of energy.
"Ikkei, you're just in time. Come sit! I just finished the curry." The woman demanded with a light, cheery tone. She was of middle age, still full of youth and all the beauty that came with it. She had smaller, thinner frame that made her quite petite, something that was a far parallel to her partner entering the room beside her.
"There here is...Ikkei, my boy! How was the batting cage?" Adachi Kagemori boomed loudly, his deep enthralling voice practically filling the entire household. As he spoke, he wrapped his large hair arm around the waist of his woman, pulling her closer as he drew a smile.
Adachi was a large, musclebound man with an impressive build--something most clothes could not suppress. Even in his usual get up, marine blue long sleeve and jeans, one could easily make out his rippling build. Despite his intimidating size and stature, Adachi was a rather calm and friendly man, which was amplified further by his facial features. He had a softer face with stubble around his chin and cheeks, as well as the faint outline of a moustache he shaved off every two days or so. It was rare not to see the man with his trademark toothy smile, something his son inherited quite well.
"Well, I didn't break my record, but I hit out at least 55 home runs. I think that's a pretty good average, right?"
"Course it is, boyo! Good to hear that arm of yours is still hitting like a truck. Say Inari honey, did you pick up the groceries I ordered over the phone? Or did you have Ikkei do that?" Adachi shifted his attention to the woman in his grasp, who was blushing by his subtle loving advance.
"I told Ikkei to pass by the shopping district on the way home, but it looks like he must have forgot..." Inari said.
"Oh! About that...I was actually heading on my way to the supermarket when a shinobi fight broke out. It was awesome! I got to see it firsthand. Those guys move at such insane speeds, I was barley able to keep up with them! But that's not even the best part." Ikkei began. His voice was full of excitement and enthusiasm.
"Oh yeah!? Well don't just leave me hangin'! What happened next?" Adachi beamed, his eyes lighting up. Whenever anything involving fighting or his warrior heritage came up, the man practically exploded with interest.
"Well...one of em came at me..." Ikkei said lowly, hanging his head.
"Oh no..."
"AND I SWUNG HIM OUT OF THE PARK LIKE A CURVEBALL! I EVEN CAUGHT HIS PUNCH! THE SHOCKWAVE WAS THE SIZE OF AN ENTIRE INTERSECTION, AND THEN SOME!!!" Ikkei shouted, pushing himself up on top of the dinner table.
Adachi rushed over to the boy and grappled him into a tight hug.
"THAT'S MY BOY! HOW FAR DID YA SEND HIM!?"
"HE WAS A TWINKLE IN THE SKY LAST TIME I SAW!"
"YEP! YOU'RE A KAGEMORI ALRIGHT!!!"
"BOYS! GET YOUR DAMN FEET OFF THE TABLE!!!! THAT'S WHERE WE EAT!!!!" Inari shouted at the top of her lungs, her face red with anger. The small housewife had exploded into a demon before their very eyes, something the two boys feared with all their hearts.
"YES MAM!" They shouted, dropping down to ground level and standing with perfect posture, their lips pursed.
"Good. Now, serve yourselves. The curry is ready." Inari said joyously, her angry persona vanishing into thin air.
"Hey dad, did you know mom could be like that before you married her?" Ikkei asked, looking up at his father.
"Sure did. In fact, once I saw that in her, I knew I needed to make her my wife. Strong women keep strong men in line. Don't forget that, son. Now, let's eat!" Adachi declared.
"Right!" His son echoed.
The two ate like wild dogs, practically racing to finish more plates than the other. Inari always planned for these kind of nights, so extra servings were always in order. During dinner, conversation was always light, usually filled with the sounds of chopsticks scraping against porcelain plates. Every night, Inari would always finish first. When she did, she'd look on with a smile at her two boys continuing to eat, elbow to elbow, enjoying every second of it.
When they finished, it almost always followed with a loud pat to the stomach and a declaration of satisfaction.
"So, Ikkei, did you sign up for entrance exams at Tokyo Heights?" Adachi asked, sitting up from the table.
"Yeah! I did that before I headed to the batting cages today. I should be all set for tomorrow." Ikkei replied.
"TOMORROW!? YOUR ENTRANCE EXAM IS TOMORROW!? WHY DID YA' WAIT SO LONG!?" Adachi shouted, his eyes popping out of his head.
"Hehe, sorry pops. I forgot! It's all taken care of now, though. I'm more ready than ever!" Ikkei said as he rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed.
"Well...I ought to see that for myself. I wanted to train with you one last time before your big day, so get ready. Meet me in the dojo when your food goes down." Adachi requested, his expression shifting to a more serious, determined look.
"Right!"
About an hour passed before Ikkei had finally stepped out to his backyard, where a small dojo was placed among a sea of pebbles surrounding it, a small path of larger stones leading the way to it's entrance. The building was designed just like any other traditional Japanese dojo, with shoji doors and wooden flooring.
Standing at the center of the open room was Adachi, who had crossed his arms with a emotionless look.
"Are you ready, Ikkei? Give me all you got. I'll tell you whether or not you're ready for tomorrow." The man said coldly. His entire personality had changed in a split second. As enthusiastic about battle as he was, Adachi was also one to take fighting and the job of a samurai very seriously, especially around his son. Ikkei, who was no stranger to this behavior, knew he had to impress his father right here if he wanted validation. Without even responding, Ikkei matched his serious gaze with one of his own as he retrieved a wooden kendo sword from the wall behind him. Adachi drew one from his belt loop, signaling his son to attack when ready.
Immediately, Ikkei's stance and demeanor changed in an instant. The boy almost never truly fought like this, but bouts with his father were always on a different level. Most samurai his age expected nothing but pure focus of their opponent, as it was a sign of respect. Maintaining a serious and composed nature was acknowledgement that they were in the presence of a fellow warrior, and that their presence needed to be respected. Adachi always made sure his son followed this tradition, as it had been taught to each new generation of the Kagemori clan for centuries.
"Now...come at me."
Ikkei instantly responded to this declaration by dashing forward, whipping his wooden sword forward with as much initial force he could muster. The resulting attack was swatted away rather quickly by Adachi, but he had a clear idea that the charge wasn't to do any real damage, but to direct his blade in one direction and strike at another.
Adachi caught onto this before Ikkei could even swing at an open point, thrusting forward with a heavy jab that made the boy jump back in response. With his opening gone, Ikkei had to result to a different approach. Slowly he circled around the man, thinking of a new strategy as he held his blade in a defensive position.
"Thinking too long in a fight could mean life or death. Think with you sword, Ikkei." Adachi jumped, delivering three fast attacks overhead. Ikkei managed to block all of them, but just by a slight margin. The downward force of the impact threw the boy's guard off a bit, but he managed to recover in time to block another strike coming directly at him.
Adachi was a seasoned warrior who could deliver slashes with ample speed and power, reading his opponents like a book and responding with devastating attacks. His son inherited a different instinct, which lead to a slightly different fighting style.
"So, can we drop the formalities? I wanna get into the good stuff..." Ikkei asked, maintaining his stance.
"Show me what you got then!"
Ikkei came at Adachi much differently from before. Now, instead of bursting forward on his feet, Ikkei threw his sword arm back behind him and began to spin the blade like a rotor, letting the force of the spin push him forward at a considerably greater speed.
"ROTATION STYLE, JET ROTOR!"
Adachi reacted on a hairtrigger response, barley managing a block at the last possible second. The two wooden blades scraped against one another as Adachi tried to reverse the force back onto his son, which didn't seem to be working.
"Heh, you caught me off guard there! Is that another one of your fancy tricks?"
"Course. That's what makes me strong, dad! People don't see something like that coming!"
The two broke the clash and swerved backwards, smiling in the heat of the moment.
"You sure as hell got my strength. Actually managed to hold me back a bit there. But show me what you can do to end the fight as soon as possible. Consider this a life or death situation." Adachi stepped back, then charged forward before Ikkei could even take a defensive stance. Allowing his body to move on it's own, the boy thrusted himself up in the air with his Jet Rotor, then, as he hovered over his father delivering a decisive strike, let his weight drag him back down to the ground as he struck his father over the head, rolling back onto the ground in one solid motion. Adachi let out a slight holler as he rubbed his head, turning over to his son who was breathing heavily.
"Damn...that was one hell of a move kid. Where is your honor, Ikkei? Your respect? In a real fight, you can't use underhanded moves like that."
"I'm sorry, dad. It's a technique I've been working on all summer, I just wanted to put this weird quirk of mine to good use..."
"Well,I guess it paid off. Had that been a real fight....well, I would have been a lot tougher. But In any other circumstance, that would be an insanely fatal blow. I don't want you using techniques like that anymore. Fight fairly and honorably. You understand?"
Ikkei gave a big cheesy smile as he rubbed the back of his head, his eyes creased as they usually did. It was a look Adachi never got tired of, mostly because he saw a lot of his own younger optimistic self within him.
"Alright, well, I think you'll move mountains tomorrow, kid. But, we can't send you over there without a sword! So how about we get you equipped?"
Ikkei's eyes lit up like stars.
"Come on. I want to show you this." Adachi directed, leading the boy to a single closed shelf that stood against the wall in the back of the room. It was large and dusty, distinctly made of old worn wood. Patterns of dragons were engraved into it, which gave it a very traditional feel. Adachi pulled the string holding together the two knobs that kept the shelf closed, then swung the doors open to reveal a single Katana resting on a stand.
It was a long, ocean blue katana with a beautiful marble sheath, infused with metal among other hard materials. The Tsuba, otherwise known as a guard, was a fine shining silver that glimmered in the light, and the hilt of the blade itself was wrapped in cord made of a older but resilient variant of silk that gave the sword an even more regal appearance, as if it had hailed from the highest point of royalty. Like the sheath, it was a brilliant shade of blue that shimmered to the eye. Despite being used in combat for hundreds of years, it looked as if it had never been touched.
"This, Ikkei, is our family's most prized possession. It bares no name, since it is simply an extension of the user's will and body. It is not just a weapon, but part of whoever wields it. This sword has seen many battles and has been used by every descendant of the Kagemori clan, and now, its time for you to use it too. Go on, grab it." Adachi encouraged, looking on with a sense of proudness.
Ikkei carefully reached for the blade and pulled it off the rack, immediately feeling the great heaviness that the sheath itself carried. The second he touched it, a jolt of energy surged through his body, something he had never felt before. The longer he held the sword, the more powerful he felt. It was as if the blade itself was coming to life in his very hands.
"Now, I want you to draw it. Try to pull the sheath off."
"Try?"
"Yes. Try. Go on."
Ikkei looked down at the sword in puzzlement. There seemed to be nothing holding the sheath in place, almost as if it was glued to the blade inside. Nonetheless, the boy held the sword out in front of him as he took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he pulled.
Nothing. The sword inside didn't even budge.
Ikkei tried again with all the strength he could muster, to no avail.
"Huh? Why won't the sword come out? Is it stuck?"
Adachi sighed with a discouraged look.
"I was hoping for something different...but then again, I'm not sure what I expected. No one in the family has been able to unleash that sword for at least five generations now, you included. It's not your fault, son. It's just that damn dragon that dwells in our souls refuses to wake up. It hasn't been stimulated for so long, so it remains in hibernation, not allowing any wielder of that blade to awaken it. That is unless...no. That won't work." Adachi remarked.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You see, there is a stimulant to awaken the dragon spirit...but the circumstances surrounding that have been troublesome, to say the least. There is a...certain family. They formed a contract with another spirit that rivaled the dragon in power long ago...the Shimazu. It was their descendants that were able to match our clan in power. Apparently, the dragon was strongest when it fought alongside and against that tiger spirit...but the people that harbored it were always a pain to get along with. The spirits react to the strongest possible emotional reactions, which is love. Well, our ancestors thought it would be good to become stronger by making our clans marry into one another to invoke this emotion. Needless to say, it never worked. Kagemori and Shimazu just weren't fated to be together. Every arranged marriage, every relationship, every attempt at love the two clans gave to one another, failed. My father even encouraged me to date a Shimazu woman, to which it never worked out. But! that's how I met your mother. And the rest...is history." Adachi explained.
"See that's great and all, but Dragon Spirit? I've heard you mention it a few times when you told me about our family...but I never thought it was an actual thing. So there really is a dragon in us?"
"Yes. I think its about time I finally told you about that. You see son, many centuries ago during the height of the samurai and shinobi conflict, many clans sought power beyond the human limits to compete and destroy one another. Primal urges and greed for strength led humans to come in contact with mythical beings that bared amazing strength...strength that could be distributed through fragments of that being's soul. Humans made contracts with these beings to inherit fragments of their spirit, and in turn, would harbor a piece of that being within them, effectively making them immortal as long as more humans were born to carry that spirit. Our family made a contract with a powerful dragon known as Umi, and when the dragon had grown weak, it fell asleep indefinitely. Now, that same spirit rests within you, and that blade you hold. The dragon will not wake up unless it is stimulated by the tiger spirit, as I mentioned. So until it does, the sword will never be able to be unsheathed."
"So...that's why it doesn't open..."
"That blade is where half of Umi resides. The other half was broken up into fragments that our ancestors, and now us, have. Part of our contract with the dragon was to pass on the blade and use it in combat no matter what, and in turn, it would allow us to live and the blade itself would be invincible. We haven't let this hurdle hinder our strength, however. We use the sword as we would any other, and we've still managed to pass on our name for generations. I expect the same of you now, son. It may be a bit easier since you're used to hitting things with blunt objects, hehe." Adachi joked.
"That's cool! I can use it like a bat, then."
"No! You must treat that sword with respect, the same way you would your opponent. Remember, Ikkei. That sword is you. Part of it dwells within your spirit. It is an extension of who you are. And I raised you to be respectful. Carry that forward, and that sword will never fail you."
Ikkei, who had his own sword style and ways of showing respect, acknowledged his father's teaching and agreed to his notion. Deep down, he knew his father would not approve of his odd approach to fighting, but now that he had learned the true nature of the weapon he'd be using, it made his own techniques even more justified.
"Alright, you got it, dad." Ikkei smiled.
"Good. Now, go get some sleep. You've got a big day tomorrow." Adachi patted his son on the back.
"Alright! G'night!" The boy rushed up to his room, setting his new weapon on the nightstand beside him carefully. That night, as he tried to fall asleep, he couldn't help but stare at the sword and all the possibilities it presented. Not only was it an important artifact of his family, but it was his key to a future as a warrior.
With this in mind, the boy drifted off into unconsciousness, his wait to finally prove himself now coming to a end.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
RodrigoLopez
RodrigoLopez And that's chapter 2. Chapter 3 is where we really get the ball rolling and meet the other main protagonist, Fujiko Shimazu. Stay tuned! You don't wanna miss this one ;)
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